


Bad boys, what'cha gonna do?

by RGmolpus



Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:53:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 22,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22106611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RGmolpus/pseuds/RGmolpus
Summary: This is a re-write of much of my previous story, 'Vor is...".When I was writing this, Rose Milburn hadn't finished her 'Alternate Life of Ivan Vorpatril' tale, in which she gives Luca Tarpan a real roasting.I'm changing that, I think Luca was due a different fate.....(Making this an alternate history to an alternate history to a fictional future history... Ohhh - the Meta of Meta of Meta!)
Comments: 28
Kudos: 17





	1. Louis plans his future

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Ivan and the Armsmen](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14303994) by [Rose_Milburn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rose_Milburn/pseuds/Rose_Milburn). 
  * Inspired by [The Vor Ideal](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16917714) by [Gwynne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gwynne/pseuds/Gwynne). 



> In the story 'Winterfair Gifts', it's unclear if Luca Tarpan was caught along with Louis Vorbataille. I'm assuming that Luca wasn't caught at the same time; making him available for more devilry...
> 
> Luca became a known actor after his accomplices were questioned after they were caught at the Emperor's Birthday party. before then, he wasn't known by name to Impsec. Impsec (and Service Security) had a large file on him; many smiles on the person who catches him!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WE begin with Louis Vorbataille thinking of where his future lies....

Louis Vorbataille unscrewed the top from the bottle of rum.

Luca Tarpan seemed to have an infinite collection of contacts on Barrayar and Komarr, decided Louis. Behind Luca was Luigi and Lotus Bharaputra, owners and rulers of House Bharaputra. Behind them were a dozen other Jackson's Whole houses - forming a clique that had a collective hatred of Admiral Miles Naismith, Lord Miles Vorkosigan, and anything involving Barrayar. Louis knew, in a roundabout way, that the shadow in the corner was Cetaganda; source of too much trouble and dissension in the Nexus. 

Growing up on Barrayar meant learning to fear and hate Cetaganda - the double decade occupation of Barrayar by the Cetas burned scars into every District, into every family. Emperor Yuri, when he was sane, had led the final force to press the Cetagandans to leave; more by diplomatic pressure arranged by his half-brother Prince Xav,than by force of arms. The Cetas could not forget their failure, neither could Barrayar. 

In the Nexus, every planet had their friends, their 'so what?' neighbors, and their 'We hate their guts' planets. Most planets and nodes in the Nexus were too poor, or too limited, to be a problem on the other side of a jump point. Trade with anyone who would appear was more important than political purity. 

...Except for a few denizens of the Nexus, who had the economies to support dreams and fantasies of domination. Cetaganda wanted to show the Nexus how -anyone- could share in their extreme civility, Nuevo Brasil shouted that they were oh-so-important; and Barrayar - well, from Louis's view, Barrayar had all it needed for decades in Komarr and Sergyar. 

Louis had met many diplomats and executive from the shadow side of the Nexus on the Whole; wined and dined after he'd started running cases for Bharaputra into Barrayarans space, using his aristocratic privilege to evade tiresome customs and excise inspections. He knew he was seen as a tool of Bharaputra; a lackey.

But a very valuable lackey; He could enter Barrayaran space with ease - which meant Komarr orbit. Komarr was more important to Bharaputra than his home planet - the Komarr trading fleets went everywhere... carrying the finest products of Jackson's Wholes factories and labs.

A few cases from those labs could be worth more than the entirety of the fleet that carried them.... and he was the key to that lock.

Yes, he was a very valuable minion.

But that was on its way to changing.....

His glass empty, he poured himself another. He offered a silent toast to fortune; 'To my greater future!'

Luca sat silently, holding a glass of water with lemon.


	2. Waking up is hard to do.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luca and Louis get some driven news....

Luca was the first to start moving, well past sunrise. The morning light was flooding the room in the little Ranger cabin; too bright for eyes that still were preserved by several bottle of high-grade rum.

He looked at the slumped form of Louis Vorbataille; kicking him off the bench onto the rough floor. "Geet up, you Bastard; light's burning and we've got to get moving." The sound of Vorbataille hitting the floor caused his head to throb.

Vorbataille used the bench to lever himself upright; eyes blurred and hair swirled by an unusual breeze. "Damn, did you have to do that? Got any coffee ready?"

Luca stared hard "You want coffee - start a pot yourself. We've got to pack up and scoot to somewhere else as of twenty minute ago." he shoved his datapad into Louis's face.

The screen read 'Emperor safe, Count Voralys in critical condition.' Vorbataille grabbed the pad, forcing one eye to focus on the smaller text. 'At the Emperor's birthday ball, an intruder slipped past Impsec screening with the help of Lord Marcel Vorevreaux. Count Vorguriyev and Lady Evelina Vortien were killed by the Assailant, a 'Omar Vorresiak' before an attempted assault on the Emperor. Count Voralys blocked Vorresiak's charge on the Emperor, and was stabbed by him during the melee. Vorresiak was killed by Count Voralys's fiance, Lady Raine Vorfolse, saving Count Voralys's life. Several others were arrested for questioning as possible accomplices in the matter. Impsec has not divulged their names, but Lord Nigel Vorolney and Lord Marcel Vorevreaux were both seen being treated by Impsec medics as the matter was being settled."

Vorbataille almost dropped the pad; "Marcel arrested?! Evelina dead?! I knew that Vorresiak was crazy, but he tried to kill Gregor?!? Impsec's never going to stop until we're.... in the Grand Square...." his face gone white.

Luca took the pad from Louis. "If they've got Nigel, they know about this place, and the lodge. So, we've got to skedaddle out of here, over the border. Grab your clothes, and be on your bike in five minutes; I want us rolling in ten." He gave him a shove to break his stasis.

He stumbled to his cot, and started to shove some clothes and cold weather gear in to his duffel. As he moved, his confusion ended, focusing on what he'd need, and not, to deceive ImpSec when they started searching the cabin. He sat to strip off his thin shoes, to pull on a pair of tough boots, shoving a set of slippers into the duffel along with two heavy shirts. A few more items, and he slapped the closing shut - now out the door and to the bikes.

Luca followed him down the steps to the float bikes; strapping two large bags onto his; as Louis strapped bags onto the rear of his. Gloves on, helmets secured, and they turned to race away from the cabin, down to the main road to get lost in the sparse traffic.


	3. The Emperor's Greetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delivering invitations to a fully paid vacation at the Emperor's health resort and spa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This merges two chapters into one...

0500 hours, Central Barrayaran time  
6000 meteres above the Basinji ridge  
Assault LiftCraft E-0109 'Scrubweed'

"Listen up, Chickadees; the Emperor has decided to invite some people to his health resort and spa, and you know how pouty he gets when his invitations are turned down. We've got the honor of delivering the invitations; so we've got to be super polite, you hear me, Chickadees?" The Lieutenant had a sense of humor... or so he claimed. Everyone in the squad was studying the briefing on their heads-up displays; not really listening to the Lieutenant; this wasn't an unusual mission. They trained in hostage rescue and safe take-down of high-value criminal targets; this being a real mission and not a training exercise was appealing.

The Lieutenant paged to the next graphic in the set; "The puppies we're gathering are all in this mountain cabin; two story with thick wood walls. Chimneys and fireplaces on each end; deep porches at the front an rear of the building, and a huge clearspace around the building. Note the three outbuildings, one seems to be a stable for horses. There are four surface vehicles parked close by; two liftcars, two wheeled vans.

We'll be dropping in two strings, landing zones about a klick away from the structure. Gather up, and envelop as normal."

One squaddie spoke up; "Lieutenant, the doors on the big house is probably really thick, like 20 cm of slab wood. We'll need to take the big knocker for this job."

"You know anything else about this type of building, Rasi? Listen up, Chickadees, Rasi's got some good news for us."

"Uh, if this place is like the country cabins back home, the windows are really thick - double or tripled pane. This time of year the shutters won't be closed, but if they are, they're thick as heck, to stand storm winds, sir. There may be big piles of wood on the porches, for the fireplaces, and any chairs or things outside will be really heavy, hard to move. They'd be good cover, hard to shoot thru. Probably block a stunner shot, sir."

"Hear that, Chickadees? Don't try to shoot thru the furniture, it may block the shot. Any other words of wisdom, anyone?

Right - Then listen to what we're gonna do to deliver these invitations. This is a gilt-edged job, so no excuses for anyone!"

.........

"One of the porch windows is open, Lieutenant." came from the drone operator. "Looks like Ravi might be able to do an underwear job to get inside."

The Lieutenant thought for a moment; sneaking inside for a quick game of stunner tag would be faster than the uproar of a door-busting entrance. they'd have control of half the house; speeding the operation.

"Ravi, Skin suit now. Osip, help him and be his backup. Team two: two of you investigate the horse barn. The sat disk is on the roof; see if you can grab the feed."

The sergeant of team two piped an acknowledgement; in the distance two grey shadows moved to the fence that made the corral at the stable. They slipped over the fence, and ghosted across the stable yard to the open doors.

Corporal Ravi, with the help of Osip, had shed his half armor and pulled on a tight bodysuit; the fabric seemed to create its own shadow; somehow darker than the limited light could illuminate. A small helmet covered most of his head, and thin soled boots covered his feet. On his belt was a small holster, a small pouch fastened on the other side. He pulled the small stunner, checked it's charge, showing the dim display to the Lieutenant and his partner, and waited next to the pile of his removed armor.

Five minute later came word from the squaddies who had infiltrated the stables; they'd found the satlink controller, and had hacked it - the HQ IT squad had diverted all datalink traffic from the site; and were busy inventorying all the netlinked devices present. The Captain at HQ passed word that they'd seized control of the alarm system in the house; it wouldn't send any alerts or trigger any alarms. They owned the place.

Barrayaran operational rules were simple; the officer on site, in charge of the operational squad, had final say on every step. The officer who'd be Court Martialed if things went wrong had to be the one to decide when and if to proceed. Any superior officer could end the mission, but only the officer on the ground could advance it. The Lieutenant reviewed the important points; no sign of activity in the house, they controlled the communications; there was an apparent easy way into the structure - Go!

............

Ten minutes later his squad had full control of the building, and they'd taken eight people in custody - along with two dogs and an irate cat.

0945 CBT

The strike team was back in the air, heading cross country to a new location. Onsite forensics had found messages from Lord Vorbataille and Luca Tarpan on comsets, indicating that they were at a less remote, but anonymous hiker's cabin, about 10 KM away. The strike team immediately loaded and departed; in the hope the two targets were still present.

A quick orbit above the cabin was disappointing; if the targets had still been there some form of transport - a car, bikes, van, or something mobile would be evident - and there wasn't.

Land, do a rush on the building - and hope.

\--------------------------

Twenty minutes later, the Lieutenant was reporting in to the Major in charge. "Sorry sir, we missed them by minutes; the coffee machine was still brewing as we entered the house. They left a lot of their things, so they didn't have much time to prepare when they left. We'll hold until the forensics team arrives."

The Major swore a bit - orders had come from on very high that Louis Vorbataille and his companion, Luca, were to be apprehended in any physical condition practical. He'd never seen an order like that, it wasn't 'Dead or alive', but close.

"Right, hold until relieved; I'll have a Forensics team out to you ASAP. Return to base when relieved, Vorcant out."

\----------------

The Lieutenant has the pilot swing wide on departure; following the nearby main road for a few kilometers, hoping to see two bikes, or something promising, as they headed back to Taney base. The road was empty of bikes; and nothing was seen in the few turnoffs and scenic view sites along the road. His men sat stoically; they'd get the credit for the initial assault; the failure to grab the two main targets wasn't their fault, but was totally on late - bad intelligence from above. Few shots fired, no casualties, no injuries, this had been a perfect mission for all of them. Back to base, and first round is on the Lieutenant.


	4. A long ride to short gains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vorbataille and Luca avoid notice.

The two of them rode south, further into the wilderness, for over an hour, until they found a service plaza. It was built to serve large freight trucks, along with vacationers and local residents. They pulled their float bikes to the recharging station; Luca looked at the chargers with some concern until he saw that they were older, simpler models. He muttered to Vorbataille; "First lesson - we can be tracked by Impsec from anything that's talking to the data network; This charger, if it was newer, would record the serial number of the battery, and maybe the bike's registration, and Impsec could grab that to find us. You can't use a credit chit that's got your name on it, or your family name; that'll set off alarms the moment the clerk pops it in the read slot. We've got to stay anonymous until I can get us tickets off world. " He scowled at Louis as he finished using a credchip he pulled from a bundle he extracted from his cargo bag.

"I think I've only got cards with my name on them, except for one that's only got 300 marks on it; I think Nigel gave me that one last week when he bought some tubes off me. Will it be safe to use, you think?"

"Hmm... I've got enough to get us back to VBS with some to spare, and I can get more when we arrive." Luca was examining the area, fiddling with the straps on his bike as it charged. "It should be safe, until they start cracking on everyone's finances; and that won't be finished for a week or so, with everyone they've got to search. It's eight hours or more on the road to VBS, we'll have to stop to recharge once or twice, so let's use that card to pay for that stuff.

They got a grocery in that store? We need to get supplies if we've got to spend the night camping"

"This sort of place has got everything in stock from eggs to campstoves; People from all over come into these mountains to camp and have fun all year round, and probably is the only large store for a hundred kilometers;" Louis pointed to the edge of the plaza " They've even got liquid fuels, Petrol and fuel oil, for people really up in the hills."

"Huh, haven't seen that for years.." commented Luca. he thought for a few moments, "OK, you go buy a pile of camping gear, and use one of your personal cards; I'll get some food, then we head back to VBS. We'll dump the camp gear soon, but it'll confuse Impsec, slow them down." Luca stared at Louis, his eyes hard as flint.

Louis shifted back at Luca's orders; buy things with _his_ ID? He caught Luca's meaning an instant later; this'll start a false trail for Impsec's men to send them further away from Vorbarra Sultana, to give them more time to escape.

With the two bikes steadily charging, they headed across the plasticrete, stained with innumerable splotches of spilled fluids and stains of unknown origin. They grabbed shopping baskets; Louis headed to the Sporting goods and camping section to get the items Luca had described. Luca into the grocery section, his eyes darting in a reflex scan.

In the Outdoor Recreation aisles, Luis grabbed a two man tent, a pair of sleeping bags and inflatable cushions, two cooking kits and a small spirit stove, and two collapsible water jugs. He recalled the lessons learned on his last emergency landing drill, required of every racing yacht owner-pilot; He'd passed, but only after several uncomfortable nights in the wild, after an 'emergency' crash landing. He grabbed a box of light sticks, and several hanks of paracord line; along with two sets of the little clamps that made attaching things to the line easier.

Next to the camping equipment aisles was Automotive - Louis reflected on the absurdity of calling a department 'Automotive' when the old gas-burning metal monsters were long gone, but a name is a name, right?

He thought - automotive - batteries - battery chargers! He shoved his heavy cart into the adjacent lane; there were a selection of individual chargers for all types of mobile batteries; a quick scan of labels found two that could recharge the packs on their bikes; straight from a residential wall outlet. If Luca was worried about being tracked at commercial charging stations, then they could avoid that with one of these.

He also found a power upverter, that could recharge small items, like their comsets, from the bike cells; Unfortunately, the store didn't have any power packs that would fit their bikes. He stopped in the Men's section, and bought several sets of rugged pants, and a heavier coat and new set of driving gloves before heading to the cash points.

He split his purchases into two stacks - one, with most of the camping supplies, went on one of his personal cards; almost draining it. The other pile, with the clothes, battery gear, and some small personal items, went on the card he'd received from Nigel; using a different self-serve kiosk to register the sale.

He looked at the pile of gear - how'd he ever pile all this on his, or Luca's bikes, but they could always buy more straps and tie downs....

\-------------

He met with Luca back at the bikes; Luca had two cooler chests, and two sacks of packaged food. He had shopped in clothing as well; new coat, pants, and shirts in one sack. He had to saddlebags; the two of them worked quickly to strap them onto their bikes, then loaded all the merchandise onto the bikes. Louis had some doubts that the bikes would stay stable - but Luca seemed confident, this would be tricky for a while until he adapted to the extra load on his bike.

The bikes at full charge; Luca gave orders: "First, we'll head back across the district border; into Vordanil's land. the map shows lots of little campgrounds in the area; we'll set up camp at one of them, then abandon it - like they scared us off.

Then we drive like crazy back to VBS; when we get into the outskirts I can call some people for help. We'll really go to ground in Vorbarra Sultana; it's easier to hide in a big city, and I can use contacts to get us out of here. Understand that?" Luca waited for the logic to fix itself in Louis's mind; "Then, we plan to really shove a finger up the nose of Vorbarra, Vorkosigan, or Voralys - all of them. My bosses back on the Whole will LOVE it if we pull off a stunt that hurts any of them, they're standing offers and deals against Vorbarra and Vorkosigan we can claim to make our retirement happy.

You're not going home, kid; welcome to MY life" Luca grinned ferociously.

What was there to say? Louis swung his leg over his bike, and followed Luca out of the parking lot.


	5. The Big Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis and Luca along the road to Voralys District, in the middle of nowhere.

The ride along the highway was easy traveling, the road was fresh, clean pavement and engineered to swoop around the turns and curves of the valleys and ridges. They rode thru a sea of tall pines and spruces, 30 and 40 meters tall growth; solid timber on each side of the highway. From the size of the trees, this was old terraforming; maybe dating back to the original efforts of pre-Time-of-Isolation settlement. There were intermittent turnouts, to roads leading up or down slope into the woods; with occasional signs stating the ownership of the land. The road slowly crept upward , at an easy grade, reaching to the snow line and the end of the forest cover. They passed trucks and vans; their bikes having the power to speed around the larger, slower vehicles with ease.

Four hours in, Luca signaled that he wanted to detour in to the surrounding forest; at the next turn off they headed for about a kilometer into the forest. The pine wood was open sufficiently for them to pull easily off the gravel road into a clearing; letting the bikes settle down to the soil once the lev coils discharged.

Luca took his helmet off, standing next to his bike. "Let's set up camp here, make some lunch, and get some rest. They'll have to hand search most of this to find our camp, if we make it cold; giving us more time to keep running."

Louis "I bought a small camp stove; can we use that, at least to boil water or heat soup?"

Luca gazed upward a bit; "Yea, a camp stove should be safe, but no campfire; Get the tent up, and hang the water jugs. Where's the stove, I'll get some lunch started."

Setting up the camp went quickly; Louis filled the tent with the mattresses and sleeping bags, unwrapping some of the extra items he'd bought and scattering them around to simulate a plan for a long stay. Luca unpacked his cooking gear, and made lunch; soup from a pouch, sandwiches from the groceries he'd bought. He handed Louis a beer, and they started eating.

"So, What are you planning? I want some revenge on Gregor, Vorkosigan, and Impsec - for what they did to Vorclarence - and all the rest."

Luca took a swig of beer "Revenge; that's a good idea; but we've got to get supplies to do anything worth the time. Did Clarence tell you of any cash he had stashed away, or supply dumps? I've got contacts in VBS, but I can't get any real money there. If I could get my hands on the biokit that Vorresiak used to make the gene poison he planned to use on the Emperor, that'd be a good start. Maybe make some custom things for all of them. I can make explosives, but we need cash for the supplies, and a workshop. We'll need cash to get off this rock, and at least get to Komarr; I know I can get support from back home to get to the Whole from there."

Louis thought for a moment "I think I recall where Clarence said he'd cached some supplies for emergencies;" he smiled at Luca " We didn't really talk about things like that when we were together; but he gave me the name of a place in Prestwich to contact if I needed to disappear fast. I know that most Counts have big emergency plans to get hidden quick; back from old Dorca's day, when he'd send Bloody Pierre Vorrutyer after you if he got mad.

Then, when the Ceta's came; everybody created ways to hide and be safe; I'll bet your Baron's back on the Whole have the same things arranged, right?"

Luca nodded; "Been a part of some things like that back home, Let's look at the map, see how we can get to Prestwich, if your guy is still there."

Luca unfolded a paper map of the area he'd bought at the shopping mall; it covered the region in decent detail, and had a small continental map in a section on one side. The map showed all the outdoor recreation area, for camping, snowboarding, skiing, and hiking. It was labeled "The Big Burn" Outdoor recreation and sport zone. This looked odd to Luca; on the map he could see a palm shaped line outlining a huge stretch.

Louis pointed to a spot on the lower part of the outlined area; "This is about where we are; on Highway 10. we can take this up to this junction, at Theobaldt, and go east on 15 to here" - he pointed at a crossing, " and change to 30. That'll take us directly to Vorclarence's district; all told it's -" Louis spanned his fingers across the map "about 650 Klicks to the border to Vorclarence's district. It should take us - eight hours to get to the district, not including a recharge stop."

"And we can recharge at this Theobald place?" Luca pointed at the spot.

"We should be able to; if what you've said about the messed up trail we left behind us slowing Impsec and all. There's an old chalet just on the Vorclarence border we can stop at for the night, before we head to Prestwich. I know the door code; we can recharge there overnight. Antoni took me there once, for a few days - " Louis stopped, not wanting to say more.

"Took you someplace private, did he? I doubt that the new count, Voralys, has sent anyone to check on the place; I bet he doesn't know he owns it. From there, how far to Prestwich?"

"With all the turns, about 150 klicks; there's a direct monorail from there to Vorbarra Sultana. It's an overnight service; so two days from now we should be in VBS."

"OK, that works. " Luca gestured at the heading on the map; "What's this 'Big Burn' thing? Something from the Cetas?"

"No - " Louis smiled some "Not from the Cetas; I'll tell you about it when - well, it's time."

=====

They stayed at the camp for a few hours, to make it lived in. They both took naps; then gathered the few things that Luca said to take - including some sandwiches and beer - before heading out in the late afternoon. Louis estimated that they'd be reaching Theobalt before it got to dark; there'd be plenty of rooms available for two riders, at the tail end of the summer season.

The road swept around a mountain ridge; tall, aged trees on both sides. The view ahead was limited by the tall, mature trees; a slice of blue sky. At the end of the ridge, the road made a sharp curve; bending to the left at the beginning of a downhill slope. at the curve there was a large gravel parking zone, a place for one or two large trucks to stop and cool after the long uphill climb they'd made. To the right was a continuation of the trees, but just at the turn the land fell away, making the turn a pulpit - a crow's nest of - nothing?

Louis had throttled back before the turn, swinging into the gravel siding, to watch Luca's reaction. Luca's bike took the turn - and the view - the amazing, empty view, shocked him into a spin on the smooth asphalt. He skidded a bit; then stopped - not understanding the view from the side of the ridge.

Ahead was - seemingly - nothing - from the close confinement of the old trees, to an eternal emptiness, of open air that stretched from the depths to space above. The land, far below, and for more kilometers than seemed possible was empty; no tall trees, no clusters of bushes or hedges; just grassland to the horizon. The road twisted close the the ridges and hollows and the mountain sides; with occasional bridges, artfully tailored into the terrain, kinking up and down the ridge sides to maintain an somewhat even path. The air was so clear and empty that the highway was still visible, more than a dozen kilometers away; where., in the approaching evening, a faraway glow marked a village or town.

Louis pulled beside Luca "Well?"

"What - _This_ is the Big Burn? What - how - happened?"

"About a twenty years ago, the Military had a few warehouses full of thermobaric fireblast bombs that were getting to old. The Major in charge of the arsenal mentioned them to his grand-cousin, one of the Counts that hold this land. The Count, who was fighting with the Minister of the West about the cost of terraforming this part of his district; wondered if ImpMil would use those bombs to start a huge wildfire to burn off these hills; so the Terraformers could air drop grass seed and terraform this area in a year.

Louis waved his arm at the huge, empty space. "It was a crazy idea; but when two of the adjoining Counts heard of it, the idea suddenly seemed less fantastic. It took three years to plan everything; and two other Counts signed on - and the biggest blast ever on Barrayar was set off just ahead of us. They waited until the seasonal winds were blowing north, then Impmil used up all those fireball bombs, and a lot of other incendiaries, to start a forest fire that burned from here for four hundred and thirty kilometers, and almost a two hundred across. The only thing that stopped it was the annual rains that came two months after the burn started; if they hadn't come the burn would have stopped when it hit the north ocean shore.

As the fire burned north, the Terraformers came in with airdrops of grass seed, fertilizer, and lots of road building equipment to put this highway in. They didn't want to put in trees at first, - this was a big story in school when I was in my junior year - but planned to build several outdoor resorts, put in a few lakes between ridges, and open the area up for development."

Luca realized he wasn't really seeing the vista; this turn in the road was so high, that it seemed to be floating above everything, almost in orbit - but so close - too close - to take in as a whole. He sat on his bike's seat, helmet off, looking across a chasm - into an infinity.

"The arguments about this raged in the Council of Counts for months; Vorkosigan forced Gregor to write a report every day on what the status of the debate was; to really get him to understand how the Council worked, and to drive home the long term effects his decisions would have; The Counts who's districts would be touched by the Burn were putting up much of the money, for the Terraforming and road building, and the other civic works; but this'd touch every other district, including the his own. The smoke from the burn would wrap around the planet; how would this increase medical expenses for the next decade or so? I had to write an essay on that in school."

"In three years, this road and two more had been put in, along with three Monorail lines, including a new cross-continent line, and five new towns scraped in; two to support mining in the Burn, the rest for outdoor recreation - Skiing, hiking, winter games. Two dams were built to make lakes, with hydro-power to support the new towns, and a lot of this is now a planetary park, never to be developed. We think big, don't we?" Louis sat back on his bike's seat, gazing at the open sky and land -

"This was the biggest news we'd ever had, after the celebrations when the Ceta's left. Before my time; it wasn't an Imperial event; this was by Barrayarans, for Barrayar; My Granddad and Dad grabbed contracts to make concrete, asphalt, Light posts for the roads; This put thousands to work, everywhere. This isn't something Gregor owns; it's ours!" Louis thrust his fist in the air; militant, his voice a shout.


	6. Fun in Prestwich

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luca and Louis find some gift boxes; plans are made for their entertainment.

They stopped for the night at Zweiridge; recharging their bikes at a motel. Luca pulled another ID card and credit chit out of his bundle to pay for the stay. In the morning, freshly fed and at full charge, they headed east across the Big Burn.

The ride was easy; 600 KM in a day on a fresh, open highway was the smoothest of rides. It was late afternoon that they passed the markers showing the boundary between Districts; the sign read 125 KM to Prestwich. They stopped for a late lunch at the visitor's center for the Big Burn, Luca grabbed a handful of cards and flyers; this was something he wanted as a memory.

The border between districts had a large stone archway marking the border, and a pair of travel service plazas, along with tourist and visitor centers to catch travelers. The big sign that had said "Welcome to Little England!", with Vorclarences' signature in script, had been covered by a rudely made poster saying "Whee! Under New Management, Welcome Count Voralys!!!". In huge parking lots were children's' play zones, filled with climbing bars, swing sets, slides, and other ways for fidgety children to burn off the energy that'd built up for hours. 

Louis went into the visitor center to get a city map of Prestwich; Luca browsed the selection of tourist flyers that advertised all the things visitors could see... he though about seeing the same thing on old Earth; nothing like this on the Whole - tourists weren't really valued by the Barons...

Outside at the bikes; Louis narrowed in on two spots; one a location in the suburbs, the other a place close to the city center. "This was a long term safe house"; pointing at the suburb location; "There's an old couple who live in the main house, but the garage and it's apartment were stocked for a long stay. Clothes, cash, medicine, food, some weapons, stuff like that. This other one, close to downtown, was a bolthole; Cash, two cars -"

Luca interrupted "Any weapons? Did he tell you about any cases Marcel brought him from the Whole?"

"At the garage, I saw a locker with poison stickers on it; I - ah - didn't ask."

Luca though "The place downtown is almost too risky to visit in the middle of the day. It looks too close to the local police HQ. It's - what - four blocks from the civic building, close enough for him to run there if shit hits the fan; Let's go there late afternoon when things are quiet... Maybe what I need is in the Garage place. I know Marcel and Cezar brought some chemistry kits from the Whole; I was supposed to train them and mix up stuff for them."

Louis developed a sour expression on his face at this -

"Aww, don't worry; I couldn't have made much with the small stocks in those cases; it was more for me to demonstrate what could be ordered and tailored from back home... salesman cases, huh?"

"If Marcel had brought any cases to Antoni, he never told me. I carried drugs for him, but never anything mysterious. Antoni was planning something big with Marcel and Cezar, as I said, he didn't tell me." Louis slapped his bike to emphasize this; "He had something big in the works with Marcel, but he never said anything about it to me."

"OK, ok. Antoni kept secrets from you. He's smart to do that; a secret shared might as well be told directly to a cop."

"We can get to Prestwich today, to the safe house, right? Tomorrow, we hit the other safehouse, see what it's got; then take what we can and head to the Capital. We'll ditch the bikes in Prestwich, take the monorail overnight, and then setup shop there. I'll lay out what I want to do - or try to do, tonight. That sound good?"

Louis agreed; "OK, tonight in the safehouse, then grab all we can and head to VBS. The couple at the garage place know me; I think they'll keep their mouths shut - but it might be better if you give the passwords to them, right?" Louis offered.

"Ah, you're learning, kid." Luca smiled. "The less someone knows, the less they can tell. Once we're there, and inside, then it doesn't matter what they know, we've got them hooked. What's the greeting script?"

"We call them and say their pasta order is delayed; but the driver will be there in ten minutes. Ten minutes later, we call again to say we're arriving, two orders of manicotti, one meatball Stromboli. They'll say the order's correct if all's clear; if there's a problem, then it's that they ordered cannelloni, not manicotti. Then, we park at the garage apartment, they bring the keys, and that's it."

"Not bad; Two manicotti, meatball Stromboli, reply is order's OK. Where do we call from?"

"Anywhere inside of Prestwich, as long as it's before 2200. They go to bed early."

"Then let's ride." Luca disconnected his bike from the charger, stowed the charger cable, Louis did the same and they headed into the northbound freeway.

They stopped for the day at a small tourist court that catered to the tourist trade heading to the Big Burn; just another two weary road warriors. Luca paid, as usual; one room, paying for two cycle recharges, two breakfasts in the morning. Louis grabbed their laundry, using the little laundromat in the place. Dinner was at a cafe a brief walk down the road. Sleep came quickly.

They hit the road early; Prestwich was about four hours hard riding away. Luca thought it unusual that there were no roadblocks or survey stops along the road; had they outrun the manhunt that had to be underway? He wasn't unhappy; but this escape seemed to be too easy... unnerving.

\---------

They crossed the Prestwich city limits at 1400; pulling in to a small diner. Louis ordered coffee for both of them while Luca used the diner phone to call the safehouse. They sat for the needed minutes, then Luca called again to get the reply handshake - all was well; they paid the bill and headed out. Twenty five minutes later they were pulling into the drive of a modest house; past it to the separate garage/workshop. An older man was waiting for them; Louis, with his helmet on, gave the recognition code. The man unlocked the garage door, not saying anything, and left. Louis and Luca moved their bikes into the garage, pulling the door shut - in safe, undercover.

\--------------------

With the door closed, they first hooked the chargers to power points; Luca inspected several large trunks stacked on the side; grinning as he read the labels. Louis, with some personal urgency, found the door and stairway to the apartment above; turning on the lights. The sound of a flushing toilet marked his satisfaction.

Luca went up into the apartment, looking at the windows - the shades were drawn, no sliding shutters. He shrugged a bit - he wasn't planning on being here for more than two days; if the place was bugged, that was the end of it.

The apartment had two bedrooms, clean linen freshly made, a small washroom with shower cubicle, and a galley kitchen, Louis was inspecting the cabinets and fridge - the doors he's left open showed plenty of shelf-stable packages. "Want a beer?" Louis said, taking a long neck bottle out of the cooler, waving it in Luca's direction.

"Sure" Luca grabbed the bottle that was tossed to him. Twisting the cap off, he smelled the top, then took a swig "-Whoo! that's got some kick! This a local brew?"

"Yep, locally brewed, local hops, local water. Antoni couldn't stand the weak beer from other districts, didn't like wine, so he ordered the brewers to make really hard beer - you should try the Perry and Applejack Cider they make here. They'll put you in orbit." Louis took a careful sip from his bottle.

"Well, he could have exported this to the Whole, or Illirica; been making a lot of money selling to them." Luca took another long swig and burped with happiness.

"I looked at the cases in the garage; there's a complete gene sequence kit, and synthesis lab; and sample sets for a dozen types of nastiness. There's also a complete sabotage training kit; all sealed and unused." Luca looked distracted for a moment, randomly swinging his beer bottle around the room. "Tomorrow, we ship those cases to Sultana; then we visit the other safe house. Did you find any stashes of cash, or IDs?"

"No, but I've not searched the place. Antoni said this was the second place I should visit, if I was on the run -"

"Hmm... Doing things bass-akwards. We'll need to rent a float truck to get these cases to the monorail station; which blows another cash card. I hope he left a big stash of money downtown, I'm running low."

"All we have to do to get these trunks moved is call a shipper service - they'll send a truck, and we grab them from their office in VBS. Neat, huh? No trouble for us; we list them as laboratory gear, test equipment, and that's all that's needed. It may take a week to get them to VBS, it's fingerprint free; and we'll have the time to get a place of our own ready when we want them." Louis's eye were large, as he imagined what sort of revenge Luca could conjure from those trunks.

"Hold on, cowboy!" Luca wanted to stop any apocalyptic ideas that Louis was birthing. "Until I know what's in those cases, I won't know what can be done. Then, there the matter of staying hidden; there's sure to be a big hunt for us; that'll slow us down; and actually doing something is hard - if we get caught, it's all over. I've taken a year to to get an hour's payoff. I think we've got three weeks for everything; and our first aim is escape, not blowing up Impsec, or anything flashy. Get your head out of the clouds; or you'll be in the box in a day."

Louis was miffed; he wanted to do something to avenge Vorclarence. Luca riled was a bad thing; change the subject. "Well, we need to do laundry, and some sleep. There's a big selection of quick meals in the pantry; You get first shot at the shower, I'll get something hot. OK?"

Luca smiled at this; "Yea, we need a good rest; relax and start fresh tomorrow. Once we get to VBS, it'll be hard on both of us, You've never lived under a rock; hiding from the Law, we've got a lot ahead before we boost away." He took a last swallow from his bottle. "Man, this is some great beer; get me another - or two. I need to get a real buzz on tonight." He turned, heading to the small washroom, concentrating on the idea of hot water and steam.

Louis slumped; Luca was treating him like some specimen of servant, not an equal. He had to admit that Luca knew more about living on the run; and he had the contacts to get him off of Barrayar. "So, with what you found here, what revenge can you make on the bastards in VBS? Make more poison, blow something up, or what?" he said as he grabbed another beer from the cooler. "I want something grand; if I'm going to the chopping block, I want it to be for something big!"

Luca looked at him with a wry smile; "Oh, with what's in those cases I can have some real fun. If this other cache you know about have a pile of money, I can do even more. How about we brew up two hundred kilograms of something that goes 'BANG' in the Grand Square? Or under the Star Bridge? Or put poison in the dining hall at Vorhartung Castle? Those big enough for you?" His took a big swig of his beer to punctuate the sentence.

"Ah, you can do that? All of it? You've got that much explosive downstairs?"

"Naw, but with the cash and some time, I can make a big load of explosives. The problem is putting them where it'll do good; like in the sewers under the Square. Making boomstuff is easy, finding a place to put it - that's hard. I've got the name of a contact in VBS that can help, I think. But this'll blow his cover, and it's got to be worth it to do that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter from the old story, with a few mild edits.
> 
> The travel plazas are places I remember from trips driving between Texas and Maine; they were a grand amusement for me and my sister - especially the playgrounds. We were nervous bundles of energy buzzing with trouble; to set us free in those places kept our parents sane and happy.....


	7. Gregor, Impassive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What the good guys know....

Common Operations Conference Room (Three)  
Vorhartung Castle  
Vorbarra Sultana  
0900

Gregor Vorbarra glared, in his mild way, at the men and women gathered at the conference table. Room Three was buried in the depths of Vorhartung Castle, a central place between the Counts and the Ministries. The air conditioning was working - magically! - making the room reasonably habitable. The table was filled with stacks of files, flimsies, photographs, and datatablets. As a sign of Gregor's unhappiness, the coffee maker in the room was shut off; only Gregor had a steaming cup in front of him, and a carafe filled at the residency.

"Report."

General Allegre, head of Impsec, stood; "As of 2315 yesterday, we have our first serious confirmation on the two men who fled from the forester's cabin in Vortiens' district. The leader, from Jackson's Whole, Luca Tarpan, is accompanied with Louis Vorbataille. After leaving the cabin, they tried to hide their trail by backtracking and creating a false camp. Since they departed, we've not had a certain knowledge of their movements; as we had nothing to definitively link them to any transport.

Yesterday evening, however, they left two liftcycles in Prestwich, both set to explode near popular spots. Fortunately, both were removed by Prestwich traffic services being illegally parked; they exploded at the Prestwich impound yard, destroying several other impounded vehicles, with no major injuries to the staff.

The ID plates from both cycles were recovered, which is useful, as the ID numbers had been logged when the vehicles had been removed. From those, we could trace the movements of them, which led us to vid images of the two. Vorbataille we have images of, but Tarpan was a mystery to us."

General Allegre waited for Gregor to speak.

Allegre pressed keys on his datapad; on the screens around the room, and in the 3d tank on the table images of a middle aged man, short haircut, thin nose, thin brows, and an undistinguished chin appeared.

"Luca Tarpan, born on Illyrica, trained in their ground forces, qualified in their special forces and served for six years. He was discharged on medical grounds; he caught a variant of Marilacan Measles - and he hired on to a mercenary fleet as a hand to hand combat instructor. He left the fleet after a year, taking a contract with House Gerber on Jackson's Whole. This was about fifteen years ago.

He was trained by Gerber as a deep penetration agent; and was leased out to other houses, mainly as a pathfinder, to prepare for raids on different planets and stations. In this he was very effective; he was leased to Randall's - Cavillos' - Rangers to gather information for their planned actions during the Cetagandan invasion. The Rangers had planned to do hit and run raids on Vervain, using the invasion to hide their activities. He kept his cover, and returned to the Whole once hostilities were ended. We discovered his involvement during our analysis of records gained from the surrendered Ranger's ships.

Since then, we have indications that he's circulated among the Houses that needed secret operations; we have strong suspicions that he was part of the elimination of the leadership of the Jamail Irrusha party on Lairouba; a group that was a severe annoyance to the ruling Clans.

In the current case, he was sent by house Bharaputra to oversee the creation of a drug smuggling and distribution syndicate in the Empire; overseeing the activities of Vorbataille, Voreveraux, and others. He was also involved with the activities of the person who tried to assassinate you, Sire; providing the custom tailored poison on his knife. This was an independent matter; seemingly ordered by Bharaputra in retaliation for several reverses they've, and others on the Whole, have suffered at our hands for the last twenty years. They expected to gain extravagantly from the actions of Randall's Rangers as they fenced their stolen goods, as an example. The Imposter offered them a plan - apparently feasible - for disrupting the Empire by causing your death; something the Ghem will pay considerable sums if it happens. "

He took another look at Gregor; pausing to invite comment.

"Tarpan and Vorbataille had made their way to Prestwich, where they used two caches left by former Count Antoni Vorclarence; we found one of them; and expect to have the second located by mid morning tomorrow. The cache we did find had been stocked with false IDs, cash, credit chits, and other documents useful during an escape. We have a strong lead on the two of them leaving Prestwich for Vorbarra Sultana on the Monorail, departing at 1500 hours. They arrived in Sultana at an outlying station at 2200. Both men seem to be using some disguises to hinder the face recognition cameras in place. At the station they hired a taxi that took them to large hotel, but they didn't register there; they may have access to a safe house Vorclarence had established. We have excellent bio-metrics on Vorbataille, less so for Luca, but we now have a target for our search. Our analysis of Vorclarences' records, to reveal safe houses and cached supplies, is ongoing. Count Voralys's staff is cooperating fully in searching the records in the district and here in town."

"Knowing that Tarpan has been on Barrayar for several months, operating the original drug distribution network, allowed us to backtrack and create an outline of his moves. the source of the drugs is Jackson's Whole, from laboratories operated by house Bharaputra. They are a very professional operation; making illicit pharmaceuticals is a sideline to their manufacturing legal, approved pharmaceuticals. We can complain about the effects of their illicit products, but they produce pure, uncontaminated drugs every time. Illicits from other sources are never as 'safe', in general terms, as what Bharaputra packages. 

Tarpan arrived, we believe, two years ago, meeting with Louis and Marcel. They had offloaded, under bond, 'supplies' from their racing yachts purchased on Komarr. In those cases were the initial stock of three products that Tarpan was to distribute. Louis arranged transport for the stock, Marcel ran a distribution network here in Sultana. Tarpan started similar distribution rings in other major cites. We suspect; in hind sight, that the main stocks were held in Prestwich, Vorclarence District, under the protection of the Count.

The Drug known as 'Purple Popper' was the most popular; Louis brought in a large shipment three weeks before this matter broke. He signed in four cubic meters of 'Racing Supplies' in bond from his yacht; when we examined the cases in the bonded warehouse they contained trash. It's clear that somewhere, several hundred liters of 'Purple Popper' are in storage, ready for repackaging and distribution. 

Marcel Voreveroux had been the main distribution agent on the east coast; we're not sure who the distribution agent was on the south coast, or the northern plains. Vorclarence seemed to use his own organization from his district for the districts surrounding his own; people sworn to him. That network is being dismantled now, with the cooperation of Count Voralys's staff and buckets of Fast Penta. Marcel had a small network in Sultana; those have been picked up and are in custody. 

General Killian, of Civil Safety, has a report on the efforts to dismantle the Tarpan distribution network; those investigations are outside of Impsec's charter, being domestic criminal activity.

On an allied note, questioning Marcel Everoux revealed his primary occupation. His brother is a senior staffer at Sergyar Fleet Depot; and has been 'surplussing' supplies from fleet stocks, improperly declaring them as over age or surplus stock. Marcel acted as a middle man or broker to the Wholers', arranging the delivery and accepting payment. Admiral Desplains is on Komarr for his biannual fleet inspection; he's been alerted that a shipment was to be transferred to the thieves from one of more of the Sergyar Fleet that are currently in Komarr orbit - I expect he and his auditor staff will uncover everything.

To remind everyone, these are ongoing operations, these matters are NOT for discussion outside of this room."

General Allegre nodded to Gregor at this.

Gregor looked a bit grumpier. It was four days since the attack on him at his Birthday Party, Ivan, his cousin, was still in a coma as the doctors fought to keep him alive; and the investigation into the rot in the junior Vor set was turning over more worms and slugs than he liked. Miles Vorkosigan was split between his upcoming marriage and the investigation of the Princess Olivia hijacking; the two Auditors he had available had been helping Impsec delve into this, mainly by using their Auditor's seals to breach the dataprotections Vorclarence had used to hide his activities.

Gregor gestured for General Allegre to sit.

"Auditor Vorkalloner, what do you have?"

Vorkalloner rose "Sire; my efforts, and those of Auditor Vorlaisner, have been on exploring the activities of Count Vorclarence and his family. Analysts in Impsec broke the main encryption key used by the family last morning, and we've been mining it to locate all the caches, bolt holes, and hidden contacts the family had developed. As expected, the family had a wide and intricate escape and evasion plan, dating to the last years of the Cetaganadan occupation, with additions and expansions during Yuri and Ezar's reigns. In this, they were imitation all other Counts and houses; We need some guidance on how to proceed if we discover plans made by sittings Counts; as that touches on matters political."

"Ignore anything like that; unless you've got evidence that the fugitives are using such. Keep the records small if you find anything." Several of the Impmil officers made notes on this directive.

"Thank you, Sire. The details of the escape and evasion plans Vorclarence had are concentrated in his district, and here in Vorbarra Sultana; here in VBS they consisted of initial support and methods and means of departing from the city, and the district, with several planned routes to districts that were presumed to be friendly, or neutral. Cars, vans, buses, each stocked with cash, food, medicine, clothes, and new IDs. Vorclarence had several dozen former Impsec agents on his staff; supporting the proposition that these caches are all structured using the standard Impsec planning processes. this is making the search easier - we know what to look for.

Vorclarence - Voralys House, here in VBS, should have several escape tunnels in place; most of them should be recently constructed, as the property wasn't damaged much during the Occupation, or during the Pretendership. We are doing sweeps of the surrounding buildings, but not intruding on Voralys house, waiting for the Count's permission. At least two of the nearby building are Vorclarence - Voralys properties; I expect they will be the terminus of any escape tunnels. Extra personnel are in place to monitor the properties, in the hope of catching Tarpan or Vorbataille."

"Additionally, Simon Illyan has been of unofficial assistance, pointing out some obscure documents and plans of the city, to aid the sweeps and searches in progress. He had personal knowledge of many of the escape routes in place in the city, but those were lost when his chip was eliminated. He did create records of such, but had them filed under obscure indexes to maintain secrecy; he said at Captain Negri's suggestion. At his suggestion, Impsec and the VBS City services division are doing inspections of all tunnels and passages underneath or near to the major government buildings; so far several undocumented sewers and tunnels have been recorded. No real security risks, but sensors are being placed in them."

Vorkalloner rubbed his face. "Vorlaisner and myself have been in deep discussion with Impsec and Impmil special operatives; they tell us that until those two start making purchases, or start moving, we have little chance to find them. If they sit in a hotel room for the next three weeks, eating room service, they won't be leaving any evidence trail for us to find. Assuming they intend to 'Make a Mark', they should be in motion - but what type, and where is the question. They could be in VBS itself, or in one of the surrounding communities - several hundred square kilometers to hide inside. All we need is one footprint, and we can find them, but - "

Gregor finished "- but without that, they're invisible."

"Quite"

Gregor slumped into his chair, hands covering his face. Everyone stayed quiet as he thought. "Bataille is the one who really want revenge, for his lover, Clarence, and in reprisal for what he's lost. He knows if he's caught, it's a place of note in the Great Square, and no burnings afterwards. Tarpan may be upset that his main plans are busted, but he's a professional, and shouldn't hold a grudge; he should be expecting to be swapped back to the Whole after a stay in prison." Everyone at the table noted the omission of the Vor prefix from Clarence's and Vorbataille's names, notes to staff were made on that point. "Tarpan wants to escape, so he may separate from Bataille at some point, to arrange his surrender. Louis will try to hide as long as he can - hoping to get to Komarr, and then to the Whole. He'll want to do something big - blow something up, or cause a disaster - out of spite. Does this track with what the analysts say?"

General Allegre looked around the table; gathering nods from everyone. "We support your analysis, sire; Bataille wants a revenge, Tarpan wants escape. But Tarpan will be pressed by Louis to plan and create the act of revenge; as long as the two are together; they'll be trying to do something ... impressive."

General Ob'vey rose. "Tarpan's main business is to sell drugs, not to attack the Imperium. Drawing attention to himself is not what he wants. He'll try to stay hidden; using the contacts he's developed.... no matter what Baitaille wants. From this file, Tarpan has a years' stock of this 'Purple popper' drug on hand; he can afford to go to ground for a year; making small sales. That, in my opinion, from the other drug seller rings I've seen, is what Tarpan has as a goal.

In a year, his stocks will be gone, and he'll have developed a new supply line to the Whole. His financial line will be re-established, so he can send profits back to his masters. Tarpan wants to hide... It's Louis who wants revenge; and that's his weakness. We should look for Louis; not Tarpan... In my professional opinion, Sire."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've added a bit of dialog to this; to tie the drug running and the fleet theft together. Admiral Desplains and his Vor Horsemen will be having a fun time on the Prince Serg as is Canon!


	8. First, dig a grave....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luca plans, Louis get drunk.

Louis sat staring at his beer. Since they'd arrived in Vorbarra Sultana they seem to have done a lot of nothing; They checked in to a crummy motel outside of the old city walls, rested for a day. Luca had sent him shopping. He'd bought a dozen plastic washtubs, fifty sets of cotton sheets ("They can't be mixed - pure cotton or nothing!"), two sacks of cement mix, and a hundred meters of 25 MM plastic water pipe, and lots of fittings and elbows for it.

While he'd been gone buying stuff, Luca had scanned the wanted paper, and had rented a little workshop on the outskirts. All that Louis bought was stashed there. Right now, Luca was making a list of more things to be bought, and was waiting for a secret message he'd sent to be answered. Louis had the label on the beer bottle to read.

This was stupid; Louis wanted revenge - for Antoni, for himself, for Marcel - for the loss of his racing pinnance. He wanted revenge for the loss of his life; his future, his past.

The speeder bikes they'd left in Prestwich had failed; the new Guarda had been on their toes and had lifted the bikes off to the impound; so when they blew, some old junkers got toasted, instead of the bar crowd. Damn him, the sleazy slime Voralys! He killed Antoni, killed the plan, he and that fourteen toed dwarf Vorkosigan. May he rot in Baba Yaga's stew pot!

right now, they had two small minitrucks; used and anonymous. Luca bought them off a used lot on the other side of town; they rattled and pinged; the interiors - ghah!

Louis wanted something big - a big ball of fire, a burning for Antoni. A huge crater in the center of town, just where that scum Ivan so called Voralys now lived. Maybe aerosolize a few hundred liters of Popper - that'd add to the fun.... Mixed with some of the special juice Antoni had made, yea, that's the ticket.

Louis took another swig of beer. 

Antoni cared for him... really cared. Not like his father, who bleated about service and duty and honor; who wouldn't give him a hug, or talk with him about anything worth thinking about. He'd always been away, scheming in council, or off at the farm; messing with his precious horses. Mother planned her gardens, or slunk between bed and sofa and chocolate bon-bons. She'd never wanted him; not the way she shuddered when he tried to hug her. All that was in her head was bon-bons, calla lilies, and daisies. 

He popped the cap from another beer. Antoni - he cared for me, liked me- in close he could see the desire, the happiness in his soul. He was a different man, in private. His wife was a shrew; filling her closets with dresses she never wore - just to play some status game against the other countesses.

Ghods above, he missed Antoni. Missed him so deeply; like he'd miss a hand or foot. With him gone, he wasn't complete, inside. Never to feel him next to him, never feeling his arms, his skin. Did Vorbarra know what he'd had taken from him? together, they were so happy, both complete, in some deep fashion. 

And now - a huge part of him was gone. Gone and forever missing. So much gone that it could never regrow; even if he went to Beta and climbed into one of their healing tanks.

The bottle was empty. 

Louis laid his head on the table and wept.

===============

Across the room, Luca glanced at the weeping, drunk shape Louis made. Better to let him get drunk a few times and get over his grief, when things were easy, than have him crater when they were on the move. 

Plans - for what? he'd lost the first load of Purple when the mountain cabins had been raided. The second load was hidden in Prestwich, or maybe New Sheffield; in a safe box Vorclarence has opened to him. There were three people who knew where it was; find one of them, and start business again - in a few months. Too much heat on everybody in that district; Too much damn heat everywhere.

The cops had to know they were in Sultana; tracking them on the monorail. Breaking into the dark had been easy, since the cops here don't use facial recognition most spots. On Beta, going dark was almost impossible; doable but you needed a lot of support. Here, taking a taxi away from the hotel was all it took. Too dan'd easy.

The smart thing would be to drive to another district, and lay low for three months. Take a rent house, and act like they were contract laborers on something. Get a work van; dress shabby; be invisible. that's what tradecraft taught, go somewhere else and be invisible. 

Louis wouldn't take that. he wanted to draw blood; do something violent and visible - for his ego.

Had to keep him busy.... work his arse off on something fancy... that might work... 

Make a big bang...

The easiest explosive to make is guncotton; it's nasty to make, can kill you, but it makes a fantastic boom. Cotton sheets, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, lots of gypsum to neutralize, drying and soaking racks.... yea, have him make a few hundred kilos of the stuff.... and if it all blows up in the end with him close..... a great distraction. 

Money.

He had one grade Double-A contact on Sultana. Contacting him might burn him out; if the cops got smell of him. But he's the only one with the cash and contacts he needed. Touch him, get funds, then warn him to take a vacation and a long trip. While Louis was playing junior chemist, find a safe hole somewhere else; then disappear. 

The Job was to sell Purple, always to sell Purple. 

Remember Job One.


	9. The Man Who Knows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luca gets a message; Louis gets steamed.

Luca always got moving earlier than Louis; he'd get sweet rolls or doughnuts or something, including two large coffees before he returned. Louis only got out of bed fast when he was in his yacht, something you had to do when speeding thru the void.

Today Luca was smiling, a very annoying look on his face to Louis's mind; he was still feeling the extra bottles of beer he'd had last night. Damn him for looking chipper when his head still felt like a leather strap had replaced his tongue.

Luca shoved a box of doughnuts his way, then pulled a bottle of orange juice out of the bag. "My contact replied; I'll be seeing him this afternoon. With him behind us, we can really get moving!"

"Where are we meeting him at?" Louis said after he had a gulp from the bottle.

"You're not going. Too much of a security risk. Sorry, but the cops are sure to have their eyes open wide for you; if they pick you up you'll have a bottle of fast-penta mainlined on you just after the handcuffs. I can keep going without you, but not if they know about my contact. Sorry, but OPSEC rules say no."

"Well, that jaks."

"Getting caught jaks worse. Today, before you leave, your head gets shaved, and I'll show you some tricks for disguise. Buy yourself a cheap pair of big sunglasses, and wear them everywhere. Go buy a pair of high heel boots - like those riding boots all the officers wear, they'll change how you walk, and that'll help hide you. And buy a really stupid and bright floral shirt or two, so people look at that instead of your face. "

Luca sat across from him; "Look, I know you want in on everything, so you can feel a part of all the mayhem we'll be unleashing. But if you get caught it's all over before it's started. If you know to much - like who I'm meeting, then a huge hole will be blown in the Jacksonian network here on Barrayar. If it's intact, then someone can follow up and finish what we'll start. This is a big fight; between the Barons back home and the busybodies here. This is war, and battle plans gotta be kept secret. Spin?"

Louis slumped a fraction; "Spin. I keep on being delivery boy, and you - you do the thinking. I want to start doing something serious soon; snarf it; not this stupid errand boy shyte."

"My plan is to make a few hundred kilos of nitrocellulose - Guncotton - and plant it in a sewer under or close to a major building, like Impsec, the Residence - even under the Great Square. Let it wait until a lot of people are present - and POW! blood, guts, and flying heads everywhere. Maybe get a few Counts, or Generals, or a lot of Impsec insects. Do some damage that really leaves scars; dig? You're buying the kit I need to make the stuff - the chemistry is simple; but it's tricky. We've got to soak the sheets you're buying in a mix of Sulfuric and Nitric acid, then rinse the heck out of them and neutralize the remaining acid. Then, we pack the sheets in those beer kegs you've found - and instant bomb. The guy I'm off to see has been in Sultana for decades, collecting facts about the city for use in a time like this. He gathers info on everybody who's important; sends it off to the Barons, they pick thru the reports - and if a juicy tidbit pops up.... the cost of quiet can be high. He's got orders to help; I can get more cash from him, and maybe new IDs; and give us info on big events that're coming. Without him we'd be jumping blind; with him we can see - simple, right?"

Louis had to agree with Luca's reasoning; he knew about the Vorbarr Sultana social scene - or did - but things like the sewers or subway tunnels were blank to him. They couldn't just jump a hover truck over the fence at Impsec Headquarters; he knew they had Anti-Air guns hidden around the area to stop things like that. The Great Square and Residence had them - they got used during the Pretender's war; the Grand Square had to be patched several times during it. Vorhartung Castle had the same; and darn few vehicles got inside that perimeter without a full check. You'd have better luck driving onto the launch tarmac at the spaceport!

"OK.' Louis winced; "Cut my hair, shave my scalp, dress like a hick - and keep shopping. What else?"

"Here's a list; rent a truck and move it yourself; can't risk having a delivery driver gossip to his boss. Spread your buying across the city; not to much at any one spot, especially the acids. Buy several protective suits and lots of filters; the fumes from the acid mix will be nasty. You got taught about handling corrosives and dangerous chemicals back in Ship Captain school, right?"

"Yep, handling and cleanup; most of the rocket fuels are nasty, eat you up in an instant."

"Remember all of that for this; if you can get fuel handler's suits from somewhere, they'd be perfect. That's what we need the cement mix for - to safe the acid mix. We'll be leaving a real mess for the hazmat teams, a little bonus for our work.... and maybe a keg of two that we'll have extra, hmmm?"

Louis sat quietly after Luca left; steaming in anger. Heading to the residency to take a potshot at Gregor wouldn't work, or trying to fry Vorkosigan or Ivan. Impsec or Armsmen would be on him in a flash, next stop a post in the square. Luca wanted to survive, to watch as those piggish twenty toed batters wept looking at the rubble; preferably in a bar on Komarr, or somewhere farther away with a beer in his hand.

He wanted Vorkosigan - or Gregor - to hurt; fell the sort of pain he felt in losing Antoni. killing the Empress would work - but that meant breaking Impsec's cordon around her. Doing something to Vorkosigan's girl... that seemed possible. She wasn't protected, yet, not the way the Empress was. 

A rifle shot was possible; but that meant waiting somewhere in a lair, hoping for a shot. Impsec monitored everything around Vorkosigan house; so lurking on the top of a building nearby wasn't possible. No real places to hide in the University district; maybe waiting in a van parked close to her Uncle's house... But CitySafety patrolled that area all the time, with all the secured houses there.

Poison.

Luca was good with poisons. 

If the poison on that dagger hadn't been wiped off in Vorguriev's back; Ivan oh so holy wouldn't have survived - unless the froze him until they grew a new liver.

Poison on something ... think on that for a bit. 

Luca will have an idea or two.

Yep.

Poisons for the charming Miss Ekatarine.

Louis smiled....

He looked at the list Luca left, more sheets, plastic tubing, all sorts of plumbing bits - he must have an idea of what he was doing...

Louis looked in the mirror in the bathroom; chop off your hair, he'd said... crisp. I'll trim it tight, and stop at a barbers to get it high and tight. The stuff grows back, after all...

================

Luca looped thru three downtown Department stores, stopping in one to buy a stylish hat and fancy sunglasses. Satisfied that he'd had no tail, he entered a tall building, went up twenty floors, down two on the stairs, and up three to his target. The glass sheets marking the lobby had several Counts' crests, the company name, and a line of Gothic text "Since Dorca 4". Luca knew this was a fraud, but the bolder the lie, the better.

The secretary announced him to a senior vice president - offering him tea or coffee while he waited. Finally, the woman he wanted to see arrived, ushering him into a conference room.

====================

Luca left three hours later with a plan, a place, a method - and an unsettling smile on his face.


	10. The scent of a trail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Impsec and the VBS Police have a problem; how to find two poisonous peas in the big pod that's Vorbarr Sultana.
> 
> Good police work involves wearing out many, many shoes... and some inspired guesses.

Paulina Zapata knew that her husband couldn't talk about his work; she'd admitted that half of his life would never be known to her, as he was a Detective on the Vorbarr Sultana Police Service. When he'd been a patroller, he'd come home worn and torn - with plasters and bandages for the physical injuries; the worse tears were in his heart, when he'd seen horrors had been done.

She'd had to hold him for hours, sometimes, before he could get to bed, or eat a bite; him holding her tight in his inner pain. He tried not to mention the cause of his pain; she'd read the news the next day - and held him tighter afterwards, to bandage his soul.

When news broke about the attack on the Emperor, and the stabbing of Count Voralys; she knew he'd be in the investigation. He barely came home during the week; she took him new clothes, and a basket of food - for that she was praised by the officers at the patrol station - a home cooked meal was loved by everyone. When he did come home it was to shower, eat a fast plate of food; stand in the garden for a half hour, silent, just listening to the little noises of life.

The news feeds blared about the search for the perpetrators of the assault on the Emperor, how they were related to the crimes of the Vorclarence family; and the new evidence of betrayal. Paulina knew the real story was more complex; when at the station delivering meals she heard names not in the news broadcasts; "Vorbataille"; "Tarpan"; "Nigel".

He managed to come home that night; eyes bloodshot and his back sore. All he asked for after his shower was a large bowl of cream of chicken soup; saying his stomach was complaining something fierce. She sat at the table with him as he slowly spooned the soup in, his eyes shut, enjoying each spoonful. He took in two bowls, and four rolls, before he leaned back with a smooth face. She went a dishcloth, and gently pressed it to his face, cooling his face and scalp; staying silent feeling his tense brow relax.

He hadn't said anything since sitting down to the soup, the wet cloth on his face bringing a hum from his throat, his head rolling back.

They stood together, a unit; feeling and sharing, their breathing in tempo. She smoothed the damp towel over his head and ears; onto his neck, under his chin. He purred; like a satisfied cat; eyes shut; relaxing in her care.

She finished by wrapping the towel around his neck, scarf-like; tracing fingers up his face, following the lines his hard work had grooved; to an end on his forehead. She rubbed gently, lowering her face to touch the crown of his head with her cheek. The moment held.

She straightened; "Now, you finish your soup before it gets cold; I'll warm some blueberry muffins for a sweet. You've had your shower, so go have a lie down. You'll be a new man after that, and I'll make a basket for you as a midnight snack." She bustled off; he sat silently, then mechanically picked up his spoon to finish the soup.

She was soon back with a basket of warn muffins; carrying the butter dish on top of the rolls. "Oh, those smell wonderful, dear." He managed a good try at a smile, smelling the aroma of warm muffins. As she put the basket down, he grabbed one of the muffins, tore it open, and smeared a huge chunk of butter on the bread; delaying for a moment to admire the yellow spread as it melted into the open roll. He reached full smile with the first bite; She smiled as he drifted away in the few mouthfuls that the muffin provided.

"You've told me that it's a small thing that can crack open a big case, dear - I saw something today that's odd; very odd. Can I tell you?"

"What sort of odd - you didn't see someone with a sign saying 'I want to blow up the Castle, make a donation', did you?"

"Oh, no - I was at the Homestore; buying sheets for our Geoff; and they were out! Out of cotton sheets, that is. Someone had bought the entire stock over the last three days; according the the clerks. He hadn't touched the pillows or duvets, or the towels; just the pure cotton sheets. I found new pillows and a nice duvet; and as I was at the cashstand; The clerk pointed him out to me. He had two trolleys, filled with sheets; and was paying with cash - He had a huge pile of fifty mark notes; just pulled it out of his pocket."

"That's odd; Only buying sheets, nothing else? And paying cash?"

"That's right; from a huge rolls of bills. He was dressed odd; like a tourist, Flowery shirt, big floppy hat, sunglasses - I was expecting him to be wearing flip flops; like for a day at the beach; but he had on boots with high heels. He was very odd."

"Well, you didn't get a photo snap of him, did you , dear?"

"No, but I did take a snap of the car he loaded the sheets into. It looked like a hire car, from the stickers on the windscreen."

"Good girl! Anything else?"

"Well, I went to the Homestore at Overton Mall, there on the north side; and I swear I saw the same car in the lot there! I didn't see him in the store; but someone had been buying lots of sheets there as well; I could barely find what I wanted for Geoff; their stock was so low. The clerk said a man had been in yesterday and almost stripped the shelves bare - they'd barely filled the shelves today, as it was; The central warehouse hadn't sent all they'd ordered overnight; as the main stock was drawing low. That's got to be odd, isn't it?"

He sat up in his chair; "Darling, You're coming with me to the station tonight. I want you to tell the Chief and Constable exactly what you told me - and bring those snaps with you. Put your coat on, I want to be out of here in ten minutes!"

She was stunned - never had he ever had that tone with her; never! He was concentrated, solid; in a way she'd never seen. "Right now? In my housecoat?"

He softened a bit - "Go change into something nice; but hurry; bring the rest of the muffins with you."

===============

Paulina had never been in one of the questioning rooms; she sat, somewhat frightened after the Patroller had shown her into it. Husband had disappeared down a line of offices; she knew them from visiting him during his shifts; but this room was - cold. Her basket of muffins scented the air a bit; the red dishtowel seemed the only color in the room, but it seemed duller under the strip of lights on the ceiling.

Husband had taken her callpad with him when he left her at the front desk; before the patroller had led her to this room. She couldn't hear much in the room; she tightened the coat some; the room seemed so - frigid. The glass pane in the door was frosted; the patroller was standing at the door; with his shadow showing on the glass.

She heard their conversation first, then their urgent footsteps. It almost seemed that the door burst open when the Constable entered; his uniformed body overfilling he room. She knew Constable Milling; fed him supper and dinner many times; but he was frightening now; a hard shadow in this over bright room. Her husband followed the Constable; tight on his heels; still talking about something; " -wanted news of odd things; this is the oddest thing I've heard so far -" the Constable raised his hand.

"Mrs. Zapata - Pauline. We're very worked up on this investigation; so please understand our urgency in hearing your story. You've done nothing wrong - This is a disturbing matter, so please settle yourself." He drew one of the chairs from the table; settling himself across from her. Her husband stood against one wall; with two other officers. A Junior placed a special console on the table; next to her basket of muffins; it chirped and hummed a bit until the junior motioned to the constable that all was ready.

"Now, Mrs. Zapata - Pauline; would you state your full name, house address, and Social Registration Number is a clear, firm voice. This is being recorded, and may be used in any trial that comes from this investigation. You may be asked to repeat your statement today under oath; but this is not being taken as your formal word or voice. This is to assist our investigation; and you are not a suspect, or a person of Interest. You've seen something unusual, and you are reporting what you've seen to the Police; not knowing any significance or meaning to what you've seen. Do you understand this?" The Constable had been reading from a small card; only looking at her when he'd finished.

She looked at her Husband; he smiled at her and waved his fingers to proceed. "My name is ...."

Once she'd told her story; the Constable had her repeat some sections; the location of the two stores; what time of day it was - with special interest in what the man looked like. She named the clerks at the stores; repeating the size of the roll the man had. "It was the size of my fist"; she raised her hand, showing the fist she could make. "Maybe larger, It took a bit for him to pull it out of his pants pocket, it did."

The Constable sat back when she'd finished. He frowned a bit, then spoke to the Junior, telling him to start a visiosearch for photos. The Junior typed for a moment on the console's keys; it made a few burping sounds, and an image of a man floated in the display above the box. It was an animation sketch; The Constable queried her a bit on details; to match the image to what she recalled. The Junior tapped keys, and the image sharpened, colors and shaped changing to match her description. She apologized for not getting a image herself, "But people do take offense if you snap their photo unasked, you know." the Constable waved that away.

The image finished looking very close to what she recalled; even the bright floral pattern of his shirt showing. When she said that it was him, the Constable motioned for the Junior and two extra officers to leave the room. Her husband sat next to her, taking her hand.

"Mrs. Zapata - Paulina - I thank you for bringing this to us; We are all working hard on a very important case; and it's little things like this that can lead us to the perpetrators. That isn't to say that your story is linked - in any way - with this case; it may be that an individual has a reasonable purpose in buying so many cotton sheets. We hope to find him, and clear our minds of his involvement. If you see him again; ignore him as you would anyone else you see in the store; but tell me or your husband when and where you see him.

It's a poor thing to be suspected of something by the police; so we try to keep these things as private as possible. Once a stain touches the skin, it never seems to come off, what? So don't spread word of this to anyone, even your best friends. If the man you saw is innocent, you wouldn't want to be a trouble to him, just so." The constable twerked his brow at her.

"If this man is involved in some crime, the Prosecutors office will call you in to make a sworn deposition. You will be asked to repeat what you've said here, as closely as you can. It's understood that you can't say a thing exactly, but what you've said here must be as similar as possible to what you say at the deposition. If you remember something later; tell your husband so he can record the extra and bring it to me. You may never learn if what you've told us is helpful; which can be maddening; it's you coming forward that really matter to us. You have my thanks, and the Empire's thanks." The Constable rose to stand at attention when he mentioned the Empire; her husband did as well. She did a little curtsy in her chair, feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the formality and importance ; it was long past her retiring time.

The Constable continued; "We may have some images for you to inspect is a few days; your husband will bring you here if that's needed. We will keep your name in deepest confidence; being a Detective's wife it's not uncommon for you to visit the station at all hours - we look forward to your visits - may I say I think you do a better pork pastry than my wife? Don't let that get out - I didn't say that, not even if the Emperor himself, or Simon Illyan! asks!" The Constable made a rare smile at that.

"Thank you, Sir; Bringing snacks here for my husband, and having them shared and appreciated; well, bless me, it's no trouble. If I see that man again, or his car, I'll call my husband at once, certainly." She made a little curtsy to punctuate the sentence. "Did he do something wrong?"

The Constable smiled; "We know there's a group of people planning to do a major mischief; The man you saw could be one of them. In fairness, we don't know - so we must be cautious in this. Please, return home with your husband, and if we need you, your husband will be with you. - and thank you for the muffins, they smell delicious."

=================

While the Constable was interviewing Mrs. Zapata; the photos she took were inspected. The license plate and registration of the vehicle was extracted; and the rental agency codes. Within minutes a full report was ready on the car; where it was hired from, for how long, and who did it. The leaser had hired two cars that day; so a second file was opened on this second car; the traffic scanner system was primed to report when either passed by a scanner station. The hire report included an image and signature; the signature a featureless scrawl, the photo showed a thin faced, semi-bald man with a thin nose.

It was too late at night to visit the housewares stores; the lead Detective left orders for both stores to be visited when they opened. One of the Detectives suggested that any builder's supplies in the area be visited - if these people intended to make a bomb; then they'd need supplies from somewhere - that became his assignment for the next week.

Everything was packaged and sent by the Chief Constable to his superiors; then he went home to a shower, meal, and sleep.


	11. Tarpan broods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luca Tarpan gets busy.

Tradecraft as a special agent is a complex art. Much of it is logical actions; don't speed, pay your taxes, don't murder people in public.

Do your secret things in private, and know the fifteen methods of hiding bodies.

Better yet, don't create corpses in the first place; most of the people you'll meet have enemies, so let them worry about inconvenient bodies.

Wash your hands.

Tip, when appropriate.

Do your own laundry.

Louis Vorbataille didn't know these rules; to the frustration of Luca. He wanted a fancy car; a fancy gun, and liked to speed. He wouldn't _STAY HIDDEN_. To Louis, being a secret agent was to wear fancy shirts, play Fizzbin for high stakes, flirt with women, and get drunk. 

Just like all the vidstar actors did in those annoying movies.

Time to use rule #3.

The faster Louis left Barrayar, the safer Luca would be. That was obvious.

Time to call in help.

=========================

Two weeks later; bonded messengers arrived in Vorbarr Sultana. They had all the right paperwork for entry; delivering packages to different companies. They were like a dozen other bonded messengers that arrived that week; weary travelers who seemed to know no homes.

They delivered their packages and parcels; unimportant cogs in the machinery of galactic commerce. 

The most important parcel was a small ampoule delivered to a certain woman in a tall skyscraper. She put it in her private chiller unit, and placed an advert in the VBS Herald.

The messengers started lining up packages and envelopes for their outbound passage.

The ampoule was passed to Luca; who very carefully applied the liquid to a set of pearls Louis had bought. 

The string of pearls went back in their box; and a different courier started the trip back to Komarr. He mailed the pearls back to Barrayar from Komarr; uninterested in the reason for his strange commission.

========================

Common Operations Conference Room (Three)  
Vorhartung Castle  
Vorbarr Sultana  
0900

Again, a wonder was occurring, the air conditioning was working. The mood of the room was dour; report after report that nothing worth reporting was available. Last week's meeting had been tremendous; with the report of a very mysterious purchaser of many kilos of cotton sheets, and a detailed forensic report starting with the rental vehicle the person used. A week's investigation had led to an empty workshop; and that led back to many purchases of plastic pipe, wooden studs, many power tools - and chemicals.

This week - nothing.

Gregor had been happy last week; everyone could see that when they discovered the coffee maker was full and plenty of cups were available. This week.... it was dry.

"So, we have a strong idea of what Luca and Louis are doing; but they've started a new workshop, and we've no clue where it is." Gregor, stating the embarrassing obvious facts.

Count Vorbohn, as head of Police Services, had the duty to respond; "Quite so, Sire. Mr. Tarpan seems to be a very capable operative, and he's practicing his tradecraft with admirable, in other circumstances, fidelity. He and Mr. Bataille have gone invisible; but, knowing what they are doing, our search for them is simplified."

"How so?"

"If they are making nitrocellulose - Guncotton - they are using a large quantity of sulfuric acid; which has a distinct aroma - and they are using it in kiloliter quantities. Disposing of the used solution isn't easy; and the acid has a pungent, notable smell. Every patroller has been told to be on the alert for strange odors, signs of illegal dumping of acid solutions, and reports of theft of the acid. He has a large 'footprint' from this operation; one so large finding traces of it won't be hard. The military has activated its Chem Warfare units, with chemical sniffer trucks; to help localize unusual emissions." The Count gestured to General Miller, who continued the briefing.

"We have five sniffer units quartering Vorbarr Sultana; concentrating in the industrial and commercial zones;" He fidgeted with the display console, a map of the city appeared, with areas coded in colors. "Working with information from City Services about what companies have licenses to use strong acids in their processes, we can isolate them, knowing that we'll get positives close to them. We expect to finish our initial sweep of the industrial areas in 40 hours; and will expand into - "

The door to the briefing room burst open, a Captain burst in, waving a flimsy; "We got him!"

"Confirmation of the ID just came in - Louis Bataille was taken into custody at Vorbarr Sultana Spaceport at 0730 this morning." The Captain handed a fistful of flimsies to General Allegre; and another to Count Vorbohn. "He was traveling under a false name and ID; with two other people. He was covered in some goop that confused the gene sniffers, but the chem sniffer screamed an alert....

==============

Twelve days before.

Louis knew there was a problem.

Luca had stopped talking to him; always busy with some other task. Louis kept busy running sheets thru the nitration bath; unfolding them; running them thru a wash and rince, then spreading them out to dry. He mixed the nitration solution; a nasty mix of Sulfuric acid and Potassium nitrate powder; the solution got hotter than hell; so Louis also was collecting ice from two big commercial units; to chill the nitration bath. The sheets went into the bath; Louis had rigged up a bubbler system to keep the solution mixing; but nothing he could do stopped the acrid, heavy fumes from choking the reaction room.

Repeat, gasp, repeat - wash the sheets, then into the solution, then out - rinse and neutralize; then hang them in the drying room.

Luca looked in from time to time, to verify the process was working right; he'd take a few feet of random sheets and test them in the freight yard in the rear of the building; all flashed into nothing with a touch from a lighter.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

He'd produced a few hundred kilos of the stuff, when Luca came to him.

"Louis, it's time for you to leave. I've got two helpers from my local contact to finish the run, and others who'll do the packaging and placement. I know the shyte's about to hit the fan; and you need to skip up to Komarr to be safe.

"Your plan to give Vorkosigan a heart attack seems to be ready to work. The pearls you bought on the way to being delivered; mixed in with all the other wedding gifts. If the bride will wear them for six hours, she's a gonner. Total liver shutdown - that's what the poison causes. It's close to the gunk I make for Cezar's dagger; not tailored to her, dammit.

When that hits, it'll kick the wasp's nest again; so you need to get out of here now - be up in orbit and on your way." 

"OK, What about all this?" He gestured to the production line; "I've only made a third of what you wanted. You sure these new people can run this line?"

"Sure; you've got a good system going, I can teach them in a day. What's important is you being clean to pass thru station security; You'll get gene checked, sniffed for explosives - like you're not painted with the stuff - and other things. Before, I'd shove you into a cryotube; but that's now covered by the snoops; so it's a walkout job for you.

Two escorts are arriving tomorrow; they'll clean you scalp to toenails;and walk you thru the gates. Shut the line down; get some rest." Luca turned away to head back into the front office.

==========

0700 Vorbarr Sultana Public Spaceport  
Departing passenger security and customs scan  
Line 12-B

Louis didn't feel like himself.

This was very good.

A matter of survival.

The two men Luca had sent him with had taken him to a hotel close to the spaceport; had him strip, then scrubbed him clean with a series of odd soaps. He'd brushed his teeth a dozen times over four days; had his scalp shaved twice - had almost everything shaved. They did let him shave his delicate parts, thank ghod!

In compensation, they did the same to themselves; including shaving each other's backs. The three of them used laxatives to flush their systems - not on the same night, oh ghod thanks for that!

One of them - Nixon - left to buy new clothes; the old ones got dumped in a charity chest - a set of 200 mark shirts and pants - gone! That hurt.

Now, Louis was in line for outbound screening. He knew what this was; he usually went thru another line in another terminal, as a ship owner; but the drill was the same. Put your bags and personal stuff on the conveyor, walk thru the scanners - and occasionally submit to a patdown.

Between scrub downs, the duo had made him memorize a new identity; he was a machinist from a remote district, off to Komarr for a training course. They'd even dirtied his fingernails with grease, for effect.

Just a mechanic, off on a training jaunt; looking in amazement at all the sights of the big city.

Someone in this situation would be a bit nervous; which made the disguise that much more honest.

Kennedy had already passed thru the scanners, and was waiting in the concourse at a newsstand. Nixon was two people behind him; with papers to show him as a bonded courier from Escobar - which is how he'd entered, a week before. They hadn't arrived in the same shuttle, or from the same hotel. Kennedy hadn't had anything happen as he'd passed thru; the terminal was full of people departing after the Winterfair season. The guards were busy watching for people who needed help; not wanted felons.

Fifteen minutes of danger, then everything would be OK. That's what they'd told him. Fifteen minutes till you're free.

Hell for fifteen minutes.

Finally, his time. Step forward, arms away from his side, wait for the chime that said 'Clear'.

The chime sounded, the tech on the console didn't look up.

Two steps forward.

Two more steps. Into another scanner. Wait; wait for the blessed Chime.

-Chime-

Four steps, grab your things from the carrier bin; nod to the guard; walk like you've got the clearest conscience in the world.

He headed to the bar inside the concourse; a drink - a large, triple strength drink - was needed. Kennedy started drifting to the bar; having bought a bottle of water and a few packs of headache pills, and a refill for his datapad.

Just two travelers, both waiting to get a drink.

Safe.

Oh, glorious safety.

Nixon joined them at the bar; a few placed down; still not interested in anyone but a martini.

Louis was crowded by another passenger; who was as eager as he was the solace of booze.

Until he felt the nose of a stunner pressing in under his arm. And smooth voice in his ear.

"Louis Bataille, you are under arrest for treason, attempted murder, and various other crimes. Will you come quietly?"


	12. Spoiled milk and overcooked bacon for breakfast.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luca is not happy.

Luca Tarpan swore for three minutes when his contact at the land company messaged that she hadn't received a safety signal from Kennedy or Nixon.

-No signal meant they'd been caught. With them caught, idiot boy Louis had been caught.-

-Oh, Bacon - with cheese fries on top!! Thrice served cold!!-

-Time to pull up shop - or no?-

He had four hundred kilos of gun cotton already prepared, loaded with detonators. -Deleting the current workplace would be easy; the remaining Sulfuric acid solution would mean he didn't have to dig graves for the two helpers.-

It was time to use the last contact he had from Vorclarence; -return to Prestwich and find Darien, the old Patrol chief. Restart the drug syndicate; right under Count Voraly's nose... perfect. Darien can provide two SBWM people to help load the bombs onto the tunnel; Then set the timer and go.-

Luca Tarpan sat in his lair and brooded.

===================

Room 5b15  
Imperial Security Headquarters  
Vorbarr Sultana

Louis Bataille felt wonderful.

He was floating so high, higher than he'd ever felt in zero-g, or on any of the drugs he'd tried on Jackson's Whole.

No troubles touched his mind.

What was left of it, considering the combinations that had been dripped into his veins.

Things were so nice, floating like this.

float  
float  
float

====================

Room 5b12  
Imperial Security Headquarters  
Vorbarr Sultana

Albert Nixon just waited.

Wait, wait, wait.

He'd been in police custody before; it was natural with his employment. Carrying, questions unasked, unknown suitcases full of unknown objects meant that police and other boring officials asked you question.

He answered as best he could, every time.

"I was given the briefcase in the offices of (Company name redacted) on June 13th; with instructions to carry it to a Mr./Mrs./Ser/Maam (Name Redacted) in (City, State, Planet Redacted) in as efficient a method possible. Once at the Destination, I was to turn the case over to whoever showed me the proper IDs. That's what I did, and nothing more. I had no messages for the destination, besides my hope they'd call on my company again if they needed secure transportation."

This time; the questions were different.

Not about where he was from, but where he was going; and the how and where.

The arrest had been professional; and so was the questioning.

Except...

He didn't remember ever having a needle in his arm....

The bandage on his arm, and the small bruise, said he had received one.

That was troubling.  
===========================

Room 5b18  
Imperial Security Headquarters  
Vorbarr Sultana

Fred Kennedy lay on the little bed/couch. He'd eaten the packaged meal they'd shoved thru the catflap on the wall; it was better then he'd expected. The room was boring, in the way industrial architecture always was; if it had a decent oil or watercolor on a wall it's be identical to the stateroom on the outbound ship.

But this wasn't.

He felt his arm; he could feel the little lumps that came from hypospray injections, and the larger lumps from needles. He lost track of time back in the shuttleport holding room, when the guard had nailed him, and Nixon, with a stunner.

How long had that been? A week? Not a month, his nails hadn't grown that much.

Probably a week.

He must have spilled his guts; told everything; who his contacts were, regular and emergency; both here and on Komarr. The entire network was blown, effectively.

He didn't know much of what Bataille had done; but it must have been serious. He and Nixon almost had diplomatic immunity, as bonded couriers; Once their official bosses heard, there'd be diplomatic trouble for Barrayar. It wouldn't hep Bataille, but he and Nixon would get released, barred from Barrayaran space forever - well, there were plenty of other deliveries that had to be made, in other systems.

But now... Barrayar, under Simon Illyan, knew how to make someone a ghost. And since ghosts don't exist, they don't make remarks or replies about them. This new Impsec boss, Allegre - well, was he as good as Simon?

He lay back and dreamed....

===================

General Allegre looked at the interrogation reports. All three had described everything they knew about this affair; Louis had sung like an opera diva at the opening of the season. Names, dates, places, items; everything. the two couriers hadn't known as much; 90% of the time they were what the claimed, document couriers for a company on Illirica. This was part of the 10%; hired by House Kraton on Jackson's whole to escort a person from Barrayar to Escobar. They didn't know who he was, or his background; a dead end.

The reports would be sent to the other security services; Civil Safety would get Security Services assistance in clearing the explosives factory Tarpan and Baitalle had created; that would be a mess. 

Finding where Tarpan was planning to use the stuff was in the center of his plate. 

And who was it that had helped Tarpan? Obviously, it was a long-term mole based in VBS. Tarpan had isolated them from Baitalle. Too damn many people as suspects....

Time to let the analysts on staff grind some ideas into reports; then Civil Security could do the ground work. This cleanup was always a slog; but it had to be done.

========================

"City Title Services, may I help you?"

"I'm afraid Ms. Sullivan isn't in this morning, she was called away to our Komarr office unexpectedly. Might one of our Senior underwriters assist you?"

===================================


	13. Get bucket, mop, and gloves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beginning the cleanup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now starts new story; I'm veering from Rose Milburn's storyline now.

Civil Patrol Headquarters West  
Vorbarr Sultana  
Meeting room 3

Chief Constable Millings looked at the gathered Detectives and Inspectors. They were worn out; many long hours tracing useless leads and hints. The manhunt for Louis Bataille and Luca Tarpan had been the most intense ever conducted. With Louis captured, as he tried to flee, Impsec and CivilSec were changing their effort.

From the interrogation of Louis Bataille and his two companions, CivilSec, with the assistance of the Military's EOD and Chem warfare branches, specialists had raided two of the laboratories that Luca had created. Both were hazards from the amount of corrosive and toxic waste present; tubs of acid, piles of contaminated containers; and in one, a small workspace filled with supplies to make poisons and toxins. 

The bill to clean those buildings was immense; the Chief Constable was happy his budget wouldn't be carrying it.

"Everyone; My thanks for your hard, hard work. you've spent thousands of hours searching for the two most wanted men in Barrayaran history; we were on the verge of locating one of the laboratories they two had been using; it was only by the slimmest of margins that we came second in the hunt. The location that held the larger of the two laboratories was scheduled to be inspected in two days; we probably would have caught Luca or his assistants hard at work. Such thin margins of fate are all too common in our work.

For today, I want everyone to go home and rest; soak in a tub, eat at least two good meals, and relax. You're worn out; and need to rest. 

On your return, the second stage of this begins; we know what Luca was making; and the question stands; -Where was he going to use it?- 

Day after tomorrow, that's what we'll be discovering. It seems he had fifty containers of explosive; in the metal cylinders used to hold soft drink syrup; or beer. On the display -he gestured to the overhead screen behind him - you see examples of what Luca and his cohorts were using. Each container can hold six kilos of explosive; perhaps more. They look so ordinary; but consider where they are ordinary - in a bar or tavern, a restaurant or theater. Certainly not in a sewer, or in the back hallway of a shopping mall!

So, we begin a different hunt. We will be scouring the city for these containers - looking in every nook and cranny possible. One set of teams will be checking every place the City Streets and Sewer department has been working; it's proposed that our target disguised himself and his team as a civil work crew to hide their efforts. 

The capture of Louis Bataille has been a major victory; now we must exploit it! Impsec will be sharing their efforts - heard from the audience 'that's a miracle!' - pointing us at possible sites for these bombs. It's possible that Tarpan has hidden his bombs in multiple sites, so one cache is not the whole story. 

Go, rest, be back day after tomorrow, to continue the search! I'm proud of all of you; you've done a wonderful, tremendous effort; to find, to ruin! the work of these terrorists, is in our grasp!

Thank you - now go get some rest!"

================

The Residence  
Vorbarr Sultana  
1030 hours

Gerald introduced his guest into the Emperor's office.

"Sire, Count and Countess Vorbataille to see you."

The couple entered the office in float chairs; both looked worn and ragged. The Count had had a small coronary when the substance of his son's involvement in this affair had been revealed; the Countess had fled Vorbarr Sultana and taken refuge at their private country estate. Only a direct Imperial invitation had drawn her out from the countryside.

Gregor rose to greet them, taking the Countess's hand to give it a small kiss. He gestured them to join him around a small coffee table; there was a urn and cups laid out with some small treats. "Please, join me. I was about to have a cup of coffee, would either of you?-"

The countess smiled, blinked, and accepted the emperor's offer. The Count refused.

With coffee in hand, Gregor began. "Your son was apprehended at the Spaceport two days ago, along with two others. He was ticketed to Komarr Orbital; analysts believe that his final destination was Escobar, or Jackson's Whole, certainly somewhere outside of our influence. He was slightly injured, when he tried to flee; he tripped on a chair and bruised his face. He's received medical treatment, and is in good health." Gregor took a sip of coffee, to give the Count and Countess a moment to speak.

The Count looked at his wife, who had shut her eyes at Gregor's words. The Count breathed 'Please, continue.'

"Louis has been interrogated, with chemical assistance, and has revealed everything he knows of the matter, since the hijacking of the Princess Olivia. His earlier involvement is the next subject of interrogation. His testimony, supported by the other evidence, is conclusive. He had full knowledge of the biotoxins, and the arrangements to assassinate myself, my wife, and to try to assassinate Count Vorguriev. His involvement with any of the three events mark him for the severest of punishments; with no possibility of reduction."

The Count shrunk, his eyes closed. The Countess had set the coffee cup and saucer down as Gregor had continued; she buried her face in her hands, silent.

"His formal charging will be next week; late in the day. The Guardian of the Circle is calling the entire Council into session, the formal trial will be two weeks after that. Your son has been assigned a barrister and a solicitor to plead a defense." Gregor took a card from inside his coat, and laid it on the table. The Count slowly reached to take the card; his hand uncertain. 

Gregor continued, "The Council will understand if you send your representative to the session in your stead; if your doctor advises against the effort. This is a terrible matter, a strain on so many in the Council. The Guardian has ruled that full formal dress is not required; your standard House uniform as would be usual. The visitor's gallery will be closed during the time this is being heard."

The moment of silence hurt the ears. 

"The matter is decided, Sire - speaking Count to Count. My boy has no escape, no refuge -" he glanced at his wife, who was still sitting with her hands over her face. "My boy - My Lou-" his voice broke "My son became dead when he helped board that ship; when he brought that poison back from that pest hole."

Gregor sighed; "If the Council adjudges him guilty" -' the Countess gave a small 'eep' " - the traditional punishment is as Dorca decreed; Death by exposure at a post in the Great Square. He set that to punish the guilty person, and the family as well... Given the people he was facing, I can't doubt the method was to constrain Counts like Pierre Le Sanguinaire ... political violence against some very violent times. I delayed the placement of the Clarences, and young Everoux, to finish this in one final act; and with your son in custody.... that day has come."

Gregor met the Counts' eyes directly. "Dorca's tradition has the condemned to be guarded diligently for two days and two nights; except when the weather is to vile. He didn't want to risk his Armsmen getting ill from standing at post in difficult weather; he didn't have the medical care available we have now. I'm holding to the letter of that, as recorded in the Armsmen's logs. Exactly as recorded..."

Count Vorbataille shortly nodded. "Two days and two night, unless the weather is too horrible. Exactly as Dorca ordered. I understand, Count Vorbarra; I appreciate the tradition." 

======================

Kennedy and Nixon were together in a conference room. neither was restrained; there was a coffee carafe and cups on a side table. Neither man had taken a cup. They looked at each other, pulling up their sleeves to show, silently, the minuscule needle marks. Silence, and waiting for the Barrayaran's next moves, was professional. 

In came a short, dull man. He laid a stack of folders down, and poured a cup of coffee before sitting across from the two couriers. "Misters Kennedy and Nixon, correct? Both employees of a secured messenger company - 'Argulace Trans-stellar' of Illyrica, correct?"

Kennedy confirmed, in a flat tone. 

"Good." The man opened a folder and slid two ticket sleeves across the tables. "You are booked on a liner set to break orbit in seven hours. Your luggage is already on board; what personal luggage you had at the time of your arrest will be returned to you before you lift. Your passports will be returned to you in Sergyar orbit. Your tickets duplicate your previous tickets, from here to Escobar High Station."

Another sip.

"Neither of you is to reenter Barrayaran space for any purpose, for any reason, without prior approval. Your are both Personal Non Grata in the entirety of Barrayaran space. This included transits past Komarr to Cetagandan space; with no exit to Komarr stations. Details of your recent activities and refusal of entry into Barrayaran space is being communicated to Escobar, Beta Colony, the states of the Hegen Hub Alliance, the Cetagandan Empire; anywhere that borders on our space, or that we do significant business with. The Illirican authorities are being informed of our decision.

The packages and items you had been carrying were placed in the hands of another Courier service, so they could be delivered on time. How this will affect your future employment is not of our concern." He slid several papers out to each man. A quick read showed they duplicated, and expanded the terms they'd just been told; with spaces on the bottom for signatures.

"This is not a matter for judicial review, gentlemen; this is a direct Imperial Order. Any questions?"

Nixon looked at Kennedy, Kennedy at Nixon. what could be said? Tossed - punted - kicked out with some grace, but never talk when silence was a better answer. 

Finally, Nixon spoke. "Copies for us?" as he reached for a stylus.


	14. Luca runs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Know when to hold'm, know when to fold'm; know when to run."

Planting the bombs hadn't been hard; a bit dirty, but not hard. Disposing of his helpers had been hard; but they didn't have to be totally invisible, just not seen for a month or so.

Plastic trunks, lots of gaffer tape, and a storage locker for three months solved that.

Now, how to hide? Where and for how long? Eventually, he had to contact his big contact; to restart the drug business. That's his main job. The rent-a-room he was in was probably burned. Vorbarra district was way to hot, some place across the continent would be perfect.

Contacting his remaining big man wasn't in the plan. The heat was on everyone, showing his nose in a district would lay down a big hurt on the Count instantly; they had to know he had backers in the upper crust. Vorclarance, Vortien, Vorolney, Voreveraux. Three of those were burned to a crisp, the remain ace couldn't be played for a long while.

That place Louis had shown him - the Big Burn - that was a place to go to ground. Go camping again, or find a winter cabin that was empty. It'd be backtracking, hiding where he'd been, a good tactic....

Maybe learn to ski?

===============================

The Residence  
Emperor Gregor Vorbarra's Daily office  
1415

General Allegre was smiling - no, beaming - when his image stabilized on the plate.

"Sire - A huge break! We've found a cache of the explosives that Tarpan made - and discovered a huge mistake he's made. I'll be over with details immediately."

"Expand, Guy - what, where, how many?"

"At the Opera house; a stagehand was moving scenery, and he discovered a stash of beverage cylinders where they shouldn't have been. They didn't slosh when he moved one, so he called security; they called Impsec and we called in EOD. Everything been made safe; and - there are many details. With permis-"

"Yes, please... As soon as you can Gregor out."

Emperor Gregor Vorbarra leaned back in his chair, feeling light as a feather. This was the critical break he knew would happen - ten found; forty to go - but the information they had!

Don't tell Laisa yet; a present for tonight....

===================

General Allegre was strutting - that was the proper word - entering the Emperor's office.

"Sire, a huge break. A cache of the bombs that Tarpan was making has been found, and disarmed." Allegre was almost hopping with happiness. "Tarpan put ten cylinders into the Imperial Opera house; a stagehand discovered them, and gave an alarm to Civil Safety. They called us in, and military EOD. The bombs have been deactivated, and will be removed for examination. Now, we know what he had made, so we know what to look for - his 'fingerprints'. And, his mistakes."

Gregor leaned back "What mistakes?"

"From first examination, Tarpan used a commercial micro-controller as his detonator. What he used is very capable, but it's not made for harsh environments. Each detonator was sealed in the canisters with the explosive - nitrocellulose - and that is the flaw."

General Allegre took a small circuit board out of one of the folders he had carried in; handing it to Gregor.

"Military versions of this are sealed against almost everything; this commercial item, so my Analysts told me, have a simple lacquer coating, for some waterproofing. The Nitrocellulose Tarpan made still has a notable quantity of the acids used in making the explosive. In the sealed canister, the fumes from that remaining acid ate into the board, rendering it inoperative. It can't detonate anything. 

If all the canisters he filled are like this, it's doubtful any of them will be a hazard -"

"Reducing the danger to the public considerably." finished Gregor.

"Precisely. He may become worried why none of his caches have detonated, and might, a slim possibility, come check on one or more. We can replace the cylinders with inert ones, as a lure. If he doesn't come, he may send others; which will lead back to him." Allegre was smiling broadly. "From the cams at the Opera House, we can establish when they were delivered; giving leads on how Tarpan worked. I've sent search teams to the Museums, theaters, and other popular sites. Civil Safety will do most of the inspections; Lord Vorbohn is organizing the effort."

Gregor inspected the little square of plastic. The copper lines on it were faded, spotty; the plastic chips weren't damaged, but the small battery on the card was leaking. All the wires attached were trimmed short; certainly clipped by the EOD tech who gave the thing to Allegre. A simple mistake on Tarpan's part; who'd think acid fumes would have been so destructive.

Grab all the luck you can; and look for more.

"Thank you for the news, General; your report will be a pleasure to read. Send my congratulations to your analysts - and the staff at the Opera House. You intend, I assume, to keep this quiet - for a few days?"

"To get Tarpan nervous; give him time to ask why nothing has detonated. Help bring him out of his hole; to make him move. He has to know Battaille and his escorts have been caught; that will send him into hiding; isolation is his best protection. you can keep that, sire; I expect we'll collect a pile of them." Allegre said.

"Thank you; General. I'd offer you some tea, but I expect you want to get back to your men. My best to your wife - if you ever get a chance to see her."


	15. Pulling a cheat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm pulling a cheat. Instead of wasting everyone's time creating a tourist guide to Barrayar, as seen thru the eyes of the most wanted man on the planet, I'm jumping ahead to the ending.
> 
> Don't like it?
> 
> Sue me.
> 
> (And if anyone WANTS the travelogue... Um, no.)

When things get to quiet, Luca Tarpan suspects something terrible is about to happen. The little background sounds of insects, blowers, a distant radio or vidscreen; when he can't hear those; it's time to leave.

In the fastest way possible, through a window if that's it.

Making contact with Vorolsen junior hadn't been easy; he had sent a fragment of blue glass to him, asking if he had any stemware of that color. It was a stupid trick; but it brought the kid face to face with him. His mother, as well. They hadn't been happy; with all the Impsec and CivSec investigations; but they'd advanced him enough to hide for another two months. 

During that time, he'd made contact with Darien, his contact in New Sheffield. He was a shift blow; but he knew where Clarence had stockpiled all his boxes. Moving slow, he and Darien had started selling Purple again - just to test the market. 

Everything had gone well; the sales were few, but people liked the stuff. Luca was ready to push a load into Sultana, the real market, when he got a finger from the Vorolsens. Did he have more of the pearl poison?

A meeting was arranged at one of the Vorolsen's houses in their main city. Luca got there early; in thru the kitchen door. The house was empty; one parlor was prepared for use; Luca checked the house - empty, unused.

He heard people arriving; he was in the kitchen; sitting quietly. 

Something seemed wrong... he wasn't sure what, just wrong.

Out the kitchen door, across two blocks and onto a city bus. Then, the main monorail station. He doubled back, did every trick in the book to break a tail. A ticket on the midnight train to Vorbarr Sultana.

The trip was quiet; only a few people in the compartment during the run. A ticket collector; a single snacks trolley. Normal enough. 

From the VBS monorail station, a bus to the spaceport; he exited at a cheap tube hotel. The automated checking ignored him; his cashcard was all it wanted. Tube 4c12 was as sterile and welcoming as any tube spot would be. A six hour sleep timer, and snooze.

=======================

0700  
Corridor 4, Block 12

Luca woke with a little shake; refreshed from the sleep, but worried. He started to search the news feed, scanning the top stories. Leading the news was the arrest of Countess Vorolsen and her son, Lord Vorolsen; on charges of treason, attempted murder, and drug distribution. The warrant for the arrest came from Emperor Vorbarra's hand directly; the spokesperson for Impsec referred this arrest being linked to the attempted assassination of the Emperor at his Birthday. More charges, more arrests were imminent. Luca laid back on the body pad, relieved; if he'd stayed, they'd have nabbed him; If they were on his trail, they'd have grabbed him in his tube, just a whiff of sedative, then off on a gurney with a tanglenet. He must have escaped the perimeter; must have!

Food next; then make plans. Running on an empty stomach was poor process; washroom, food, then back to New Sheffield, grab some cash, and back into the hills. Darian knew how to run the refill plant, and how to move the stuff. Food first.

He hit the door release, no one on the passageway. He'd chosen a spot with few occupied tubes, on an upper level. All part of being invisible in plain sight.

He gathered his few items, shoving them into his courier bag. Not much, washcloth, sanitation kit, comb, stack of cashcards, set of ID cards; a small autoreader. He'd left his clothes back in Vorolsen's district; they were easy to replace, anywhere. 

Shove the door open, pull himself up and out. Grab his bag -

Someone shoved a stunner into his backside; his legs collapsed as it fired, He slumps to the floor, immobile below the waist. He tries to grab anyone - anything; and a man pulls himself out of a tube on the opposite, lower side. 

"Luca Tarpan, you're under arrest. I'm Detective Zapata, of the Vorbarr Sultana Civil Patrol, and you're wanted for a multitude of crimes. Will you come quietly?" The Detective waved a stunner in Luca's face, as a small horde of police flowed around the corners and filled the small hallway. 

"Aww... Funk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is how I imagined Luca being captured - after meticulous tradecraft in hiding, being shot on the arse as he left a hotel tube. The cops had followed him, despite his best efforts; taking him down quietly, but in a 'disarming' way.
> 
> Stunners are a wonderful thing.


	16. Coda: News you can use.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story needs a cap.

Armsman Walton entered the library, announcing a guest. "Count, May I announce Count and Countess Vorbarra." 

Ivan turned in his armchair, to see Gregor standing in the door, with his wife. Ivan stood, as did Raine. Marie looked a bit puzzled, it was only Oncle Gregor.

"Uh, Sire, we hadn't expected you and Laisa tonight.... Please, be seated."

Gregor's Armsmen streamed into the room, doing a quick sweep, then took accustomed places along the walls. Walton and Hardy took place flanking the wide door.

Gregor stood behind the sofa that lived in the center of the room; leaning on it a bit. "I can't stay long, we're due at the opera house for the performance. I came to tell you news that capped the recent events. Luca Tarpan was executed yesterday, and Marcel Voreveroux, Louis Vorbataille, and Stasya Vorkalnins were pronounced dead this morning. You dealt with that Darian fellow; and Countess and Lord Voranson are under permanent house arrest. Nigel Vorolney is learning to be a gardener somewhere in the hinterlands of his family's district. The prosecutor's office couldn't really make a case against them, with the Clarences gone; it was a matter of them knowing the wrong people. The new Count Vorguriev is slated to be confirmed next week; so everything that started with that bomb in the square is over, I think."

Raine squealed a bit at the words of Tarpan's demise; Ivan shook his head. Marie looked on with her brow wrinkled; someone had been punished, but she didn't know who.

"And Bharaputra - Jackson's Whole? Sending Miles and the Dendarii to wreak some havoc?" said Ivan.

Gregor leaned a bit on the back of the sofa; "Ekaterin told me in formal tones that Miles was not leaving the atmosphere for a year, and then only to go to Sergyar to visit his mother. I'm sending Auditor Valentine and a pocket fleet to discuss appropriate responses with Barons Fell and Hargreaves. Let Bharaputra and their friend sweat a bit. I sent word to our ambassadors in the Hegen hub and Cetaganda to arrange a meeting to discuss the Whole; it's becoming a bit more trouble than it's general value."

"Most of this will be in the Court Circular tomorrow; but this was something you hear direct from me."

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"Well, as bad as it came for some; you've had the best results, Ivan - finding Raine - and Marie. Ghods know how long Clarence would have continued his schemes in his district; you still have years of work there." Gregor looked at his watch. "Well, Laisa and I must be going; can't hold up the curtain for tonight's performance too much. Oh - you'll enjoy this, Ivan - I found Admiral Vorlakial at the Ambassador's party last night. I asked him to draft a press release about proper behavior for young Vor. Something as a reminder of how they lead society. You've read some of his memos in Admiral Desplains office.. I'll have to send you his first drafts..."

Laisa laughed a bit at this...

"Well, I thought I'd bring the news directly. We must be going." Gregor looked at Marie; "And how's my little girl doing." he said, smiling. "Being a good girl at school? Eating all your groats? Come here and give me a hug." Gregor kneeled and held his arms wide. Marie looked up at Raine for a moment, then ran around the sofa to give Gregor a big hug, then gave one to Laisa. "All those people - they were bad?" said Marie.

"Some were very bad, and now they've been punished. They won't do bad things any more, to anyone." Gregor was serious as he said this.

"Good. when I'm bad, mommy sends me to my room and I don't get dessert and I hafts eat all my vegetables. Did they get sent to their room?"

Gregor paused a bit. "Well, they got sent to their rooms, and some of them won't get dessert any more. They were really bad. But they've been punished, so they won't be naughty ever again."

"Good!" said Marie. she hugged Gregor tightly; his Armsmen had stopped squirming at Marie's hugs several months before.

"Laisa and I have to go, We're off to the opera tonight, and we shouldn't be late. They won't start until we are there, and it isn't fair to make so many people wait."

"Ok... whats an opera?"

Laisa stepped in "Opera is a big make believe playtime. It's very popular; have you ever been?"

"No, I don't think so. I watch all sorts of make believe things on the Vid, is opra like those?"

"Yes, it's like those, but with real people on a stage playing the parts. I'll get with your mother to take you in a week or so, OK? That's why I'm dressed up so fancy; all the women who go to the opera get dressed in their fanciest clothes for it. You could get dressed up real fancy when you go."

"Oh boy! I have a really great pink dress, could I go in that?"

"You'll have to ask your mother; so we'll see. Now give me a hug goodby, Gregor and I really have to be going."

Laisa locked eyes with Raine; they had a quick conversation.

Marie gave Gregor another hug, and a quick one around Laisa's knees. Ivan came around the sofa to pick up Marie, giving Gregor a quick handshake; "Call you tomorrow for more."

"Certainly"

With that, Gregor and Laisa departed, enveloped in their guards. Gerard was looking at his watch, grimacing as he typed out a message on his wristcom.

Ivan and Raine had a quick conversation in glances; Raine asked Harper to call Ma McIver to come take Marie - "It's her bedtime'. 

Once Marie was out of earshot; the two of them relaxed. "With Tarpan dead, it's all over. Finished. " Ivan rubbed the side of his head. "With Bataille and Everoux dead, everybody's warned that Gregor isn't suffering that sort of stupidity. Should be quieter for the next few years. Brr..." Ivan slumped into his armchair. 

Raine had landed in her chair's seat with a similar thump. "Oh, ghod, what a waste. I'm glad it's over; I feel as if I've been in one of my books; but worse. It's nothing I'd every plot; too complex, too many players - to much of everything. Argh.!"

"I'll get more from Gregor tomorrow; a full briefing from him and Allegre. HA! I can see Ekaterin telling Gregor he can't have Miles! That must have been fun - with Miles sitting in bed being grumpy that he couldn't go be the little Admiral again!" Ivan was laughing at this.

Raine snorted; picking up her forgotten brandy. "What's behind the Voranson thing? How did they get involved?"

"The Countess's family has a long grudge against the Vorbarra's, from before Dorca. She must have learned about Clarence's plans to poison Vorbarr Sultana and Gregor, and must have drafted her son in the plan. Old, Old bad blood, from what my mother told me."

"Ah. Shame all she gets is house arrest back home..."

"Oh, it'll be more than that. Once word gets out, she'll be blackballed by everyone in society - especially when Laisa and Mother get to talking. She'll never get a thing from Estelles' ever again... and that's a fate worse then death for a clothes hound like her..." Ivan had a crooked grin on his face. "Another Vor Dragon who'd been on the outs will get her place; probably someone she really detested. Have a talk with mother, it'll be an introduction to the society wars that are always raging. I prefer real combat; wounds heal faster." He took a deep drink from his snifter.

"Well, it's over.. and that's what's good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had wanted to include the Admirable Admiral Vorlaikial in this somewhere... and now I have! Thanks, Gwynne!


End file.
